Ice Princess
by WysteriaWolf
Summary: Miko is a lone 17 year old with almost no living family members who is currently living at Aslan's How waiting for the humans. But she has a ominous destiny ahead that she may not even survive. Eventual people/OC or OC/OC at least 2, not sure who yet.
1. Goodbyes

**A/N ****WooHoo! A new story! Sadly I own no part of Narnia; just my character Miko; and Elenora who will not appear as much. **

**Edit: I changed a couple things in this chapter so it makes a little more sense, though they're not very noticable, they make me feel better about it. :D **

**Edit 2: 2/7/11 Oh dear, a few more changes have been made due to events that were decided after I wrote this chapter... Well, hopefully it'll be better now. Most noticably, I added to the conversation between Elenora and Tumnus. 3 Shame they didn't have more time... D': **

**To those reading this story for the first time: Sorry about the crappiness of the first few chapters. If you find this story interesting I encourage you to go to at least to the second half of Chapter 4, that's where the story really kind of starts. There's not much more important info in chapters 2 and 3. I hope to have them rewritten so they are relevant soon... -.-;**

**Ok, go ahead and read now...**

**Ice Princess**

**Chapter 1: Goodbyes**

Through the cold, starlit forest, a beautiful white wolf made her way under the cover of night. In her jaws was a human child, wrapped carefully into a soft blanket. Or, so it would seem at first glance. If anyone had taken the time to look over the child carefully they'd see two very tiny ears were visible among her already lustrous black hair. They were white as snow, with just a few flecks of gold.

As light flooded over the she-wolf, she stopped to look up at the lamp-post. She was not far now. As she bounded up a hill, a small cottage came into view. The wolf set the baby down on the doorstep, but, before she could do anything, the door opened.

"Tumnus!" the wolf cried. There was a sense of urgency in her voice that the faun recognized right away. He had just been about to go out, so his umbrella was at hand, but he tossed it aside without much thought when he saw the wolf.

"Elenora!" he said. His cheeks had already turned red from the cold. "What is it? Are you alright?"

"Fine," the wolf answered, a little more bitterly than she meant to. "You must take Miko."

For the first time, Tumnus looked down on the doorstep. In a second the child was in his arms.

"I don't know when-or if- I'll be back," Elenora told him. "Take care of her for me. Right before she turns 10 you must take her to the beavers. They will know what to do."

"But what's going on, Elenora? You should come in, it's too cold out!" A look of regret shone, as clear as there was snow outside, in the wolf's eyes.

"I cannot," she whispered, her voice filled with pain. Before the faun's eyes, the wolf turned into a human. Elenora quickly hugged him for what she knew would be the last time.

"Goodbye, Tumnus," she whispered softly. Elenora planted a soft kiss on his cheek. The fawn grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going to go?" he asked quietly. "Please, Elenora... let me help you..." The woman shook her head, blond hair swishing as she did. She looked up at him with pain in her eyes.

"I don't know myself." She said. "But I have to go... there's nothing you can do. Just take care of her." She glanced at the child in his arms as she spoke.

In front of his eyes, she turned back into the wolf she'd arrived as. He leaned down slowly, taking her head in his hands, careful to keep Miko cradled in his arm. He rubbed her ear, planting a kiss on top of the white wolf's head. The wolf felt a tear drip onto her head, cold in the winter air.

"Goodbye."

Without another word, the wolf turned and vanished into the trees.

~8 years later~

"Where are we going?"

"Shush," Tumnus answered quickly. "You mustn't talk. Just go."

Miko nodded.

By the time she was five, her ears had disappeared. And her hair had recently taken on a frosty look. The girl had always opted to keep it short, though it did seem to grow rather quickly. And she was smart enough to know the urgency in the voice of the faun.

The odd pair was rushing through the trees under an umbrella. Tumnus had on his scarf and was still shivering a great deal. Miko, however, was wearing nothing but her regular light clothes, yet she was perfectly warm.

As they approached their destination, Tumnus slowed down. Miko was exhausted.

"It's just a little ways now," the faun assured. The home of the beavers was in sight. Miko pointed to the lodge.

"Is that where we're going?" she asked. A grin spread across Tumnus's face.

"That's right. You're so smart already, just like your mother."

"Who is my mother?" Miko inquired. She liked the sound of the word. To her it seemed like an innocent question, to her guardian, a nightmare; a long, painful story.

"Someday, Miko. Someday, I will tell you all about your mother." Tumnus answered.

By that time they had reached the house. Though, you'd probably call it a lodge, being it was made by beavers. The water nearby was frozen as it had been ever since Miko was born, before even.

Now the faun was hesitating to knock on the door. He glanced down at Miko, who looked worried. This would be the last time he would see her in who knew how long if he went through with this. For a second, he was considering just turning around and going back. But he knew it was what Elenora wanted, and she must have had a reason. So, he tapped lightly on the door. It was opened instantly by Mrs. Beaver, a frying pan at hand.

"Oh, Tumnus!" she exclaimed, upon realizing it was him. Then she spotted Miko. "So that's her then?" the beaver asked. "Elenora said…" Mrs. Beaver had to stop. Her voice was starting to waver. She turned back to call in the house. "Mr. Beaver!" Then to Tumnus: "Bring her in, then."

The Faun shook his head sadly. "This is where I must leave her." Mrs. Beaver nodded slowly in understanding. Tumnus leaned down to Miko.

"Miko, dear, do you understand what is about to happen?" The little girl nodded slowly.

"You're leaving now, aren't you?" the small black-haired girl asked. The pain in her voice was almost unbearable. A tear fell from the Faun's eye. He hugged Miko.

"Someday, I'll see you again," he promised with a whisper. Tumnus softly kissed her head, reminding himself sadly of Elenora. Mr. Beaver had come to the door and was now holding the hand of the quietly crying Mrs. Beaver.

The Faun was amazed at how strong the small girl could be. Saying one last goodbye to the beavers, he walked off without looking back.


	2. Battle for the Truth

**A/N I'm here again with another chapter! I am like completely _obsessed _with this story, so there are probably going to be lots of chapter updates here, and not as many on the others. Maybe keeping to a scedule of once every week for this and once every two weeks for the others, in case you read all 3. And I have No Reveiws yet! Reveiw people! Even if it's short, I'd still like a review!**

**Disclaimer: I am not in the ownership of anything Narnia related, that's all C.S. Lewis' stuff. No Elenora this time around, but Miko's here as always and Ferrid a new character. **

**Chapter 2**

**Battle for the Truth**

_**Another 7 years later**_

Miko sat out by the stream, all by herself. She had that far away look on her face that had become well-known by all. But, she was still aware of the golden shape that had come to a halt behind her. It sat down silently, waiting for her to speak.

"Hello, Aslan," Miko greeted. The great lion came to sit beside her. The girl turned her head to face him, resting her hand on his mane. "Do you think I can ask you something?"

"You know you can always ask me anything," Aslan answered. Normally, Miko would have smiled at his comment. But, now, her thoughts were too wrapped up in what she was going to ask.

"Where did I live? You know, before here." The girl asked. Aslan didn't even bother to try to hide the fact that he was avoiding the issue. Instead, he said something completely off-subject.

"You do know what will happen when they arrive?" Aslan reminded her. Miko stood up. She didn't need to be reminded. She thought about it every day. She couldn't get it out of her head.

"Yeah, I know," Miko retorted, stocking off through the woods. Aslan didn't bother to follow. He sighed and walked off, following the stream.

"Miko!" Ferrid shouted, seeing his sister. He rushed up to her. "Where have you been all day?" He asked grinning.

"Oh, just thinking, as usual," Miko answered. Her brother knew she was always thinking. Anytime she could. He, on the other hand, preferred training and sparring. More active things like that.

Ferrid wasn't really her brother. Miko had been the only one that had survived in her litter. But, when she'd come to the Narnian camp, Ferrid had _adopted _her. He'd taken her under his paw as a little sister. He was older than her by six years, a fairly large difference, since that would make him in his twenties.

"Come on, let's go for a run," Ferrid suggested.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Miko replied. A good run was what she needed. To feel the freedom of a wolf, the wind in her white fur. She morphed instantly, shaking her golden flecked ears.

"Well, come on!" cried Miko. Her brother let out a laugh and morphed too. He was a gray wolf with black paws, and tail and darker fur under his light gray that appeared with a shimmer when he moved. The two took off after they were both wolves. Miko loved her enhanced smell, loved the new sounds she could hear. Those she couldn't have when she was a human.

"Race you to the training field!" Ferrid barked. He shot off with incredible speed that could only be matched by his sister. She caught up easily, and even pulled ahead by a few feet. They ran and ran, until exhaustion finally caught them. Miko morphed back into a human and flopped, exhausted, on the grass.

She sighed, saying, "That was great! Just what I needed!" Ferrid had also turned back into a human and was lying on the grass beside her.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now we're just going to sit here to catch our breath," Miko answered softly. After she had her breath back, she lifted her finger by her mouth and blew softly, creating a few frosty flakes that hung there for a while, then fell into her hair.

Ferrid watched her in awe. "You're amazing, Miko," he smiled. "I wonder who your parents were." Miko stopped.

She sat up. "I'm going to go think some more, Ferrid," she muttered.

"Miko, wait!" her foster brother shouted. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"It wasn't you," Miko assured. "I've just got a lot on my mind lately. I need to go."

"What about training?" Ferrid asked.

"Maybe a little later, ok?" Miko smiled softly. Ferrid nodded, sighing and flopping down on the grass again when she turned her back. He didn't know what it was like.

_He hasn't lost anyone close to him, _Miko thought, _he doesn't know what it's like to never know your family. _

As the four children approached Mr. Tumnus' residence, they found an awful struggle had taken place there. Lucy rushed up to the door.

"Lu!" Peter called, rushing after her in his oversized coat. The door had been shattered to bits and was all around inside and out. There were a few boards still attached to their hinges, but that was all that remained. Inside, much to Lucy's despair, it looked quite the same as the door. There were cracked pots and overturned furniture everywhere they looked.

"Who could have done this?" Lucy breathed.

"I think I know," Peter answered his youngest sister. He was over back at the remains of the door. On the wall there was nailed a note. The children all crowded around the note.

It read:

_The former occupant of these premises, the Faun Tumnus, is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of High Treason against her Imperial Majesty _Jadis, _Queen of Narnia_, _Chatelaine of Cair Paravel, Empress of the Lone Islands, etc. also of comforting her said Majesty's enemies, harboring spies, and fraternizing with Humans._

Signed,

Morgrim, Captain of the Secret Police

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

"Lucy, do you know anything about this Queen?" Peter asked. Lucy nodded quickly.

"Yes, she's not really the Queen at all," said Lucy. "She's a witch; the White Witch, they call her. She's the one who made it so it was always winter here, and no Christmas!"

"We should go," Susan suggested.

"But we have to rescue Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy cried. Peter looked between his sisters, then at Edmund who was standing by quietly.

"She does have a point, Susan." Susan huffed. Lucy cheered.

"Come on, let's go!"

Miko sat on her bed. She could almost feel it getting warmer, which was probably due to her being in the tent, but she didn't want it to come. She wanted the winter to just stay where it was. She wanted time to freeze, for her to stay where she was, as she was forever. Maybe she could do it. Maybe she could find it in her to freeze time. Realizing what a stupid and preposterous idea that was, Miko flopped down on her bed. She sighed and grabbed her pillow, burying her face into it. She could feel hot tears freshly rolling down her cheek, and she screamed.

"Miko! Miko, where are you?!" someone called from outside. The girl looked up and tossed her pillow roughly to the side.

"Ferrid, what is it?" She called rushing outside. Her muscles were tensed. Something was wrong.

"Morgrim!" Ferrid shouted. In an instant, Miko had transformed. She was now a wolf once again. Ferrid had no time, or need, to explain. Miko knew where Morgrim was, and she knew what he wanted. She rushed off, ignoring the centaurs and other creatures in the Narnian camp that were rushing into battle. Not only were Morgrim and the Secret Police there, but some creatures, such as dwarfs, that had sided with the White Witch.

In no time, Miko spotted Morgrim, but he saw her too. She leaped, but Morgrim was older and larger, and had the advantage over her. He was on top of her, grinning evilly.

"So, Miko, we meet again," he snarled. Miko lunged for his throat. Right now the only things that mattered were her and Morgrim. She was completely oblivious to the battle going on around her. All she could tell was that her side was winning.

Morgrim was able to move out of the way, and just directed Miko's attack to his ear. In a split second, Miko was standing upright again. All was quiet. The battle had faded around them, but neither wolf cared. Each hated the other too much to let numbers get in their way.

"Miko!" Ferrid called. He had just arrived. Aslan growled.

"This is her battle and hers alone," he said calmly but strictly. Miko's blood was boiling.

"Traitor!" She howled, launching herself at Morgrim once again. She scratched his muzzle, leaving a wound that would, in the end, be a scar. Her opponent growled fiercely, pinning her down with a quick struggle.

"Now you die!" He growled softly, eyeing her throat with pleasure.

"I'm not going to let you kill me, like you killed my mother," Miko answered him, her claws flashing to Morgrim's throat. The wolf only chuckled.

"Stupid girl," he barked. "_I_ never killed your mother!" Miko was in a state of shock. She didn't know what to do next. Morgrim leaned for her throat, but Miko was faster. She slashed his leg with her front claws, and his belly with her back. Morgrim howled in pain and backed up from her. Miko leaped to her feet and lunged for Morgrim once again. She raked her claws along his side, leaving a long, deep gash.

"I'll let you live this time," She growled for only him to hear. "But don't expect mercy the next." Morgrim's jaw opened for him to say something, but instead he shut it again and rushed off in the direction from which he'd come.

When he could be seen no longer, Miko sighed and collapsed.

**A/N That's it for now. By the way Chapter 1 was more of an prolouge than anything, in case you were wondering. R&R! **


	3. Going Away

**A/N Here's another chappie! I am on fire! I got a good question too in a review that I'd never really thought about before. It was, "How can Miko have black hair if she's a white wolf?" So, I decided to put the answer here for you guys all to read. Well, her mother was a white wolf, and that's also where she got the ability to turn from a wolf to a human. Her mom had blonde hair, which was closer to her fur color. But, Miko was always different from her siblings. She's got her ice powers, (if you couldn't tell) and so she has black hair because she's special. There had to be something to set her apart from her siblings. Hope that helps. :) Oh, and they're in that camp from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The place where the White Witch went to make a deal with Aslan, that he'd have to die so they could save Ed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! I hope you people understand that by now! R&R:)**

**Chapter 3**

"_Miko!" Miko looked up from where she was admiring a small Rose bush. She was a wolf, and could smell their sweet scent so much better. _

"_Mom?" Miko barked, seeing the white wolf in front of her. The wolf shook her head. Miko looked closer. She noticed this wolf had more cream-colored fur and brown eyes. Her mother had blue like herself, according to Aslan. Then she realized who she was looking at. _

"_Kuna!" she cried. "Kuna, it's you!" Miko rushed up to greet her sister. _

"_It's been so long!" Kuna barked happily. _

"_Why haven't you come to visit me?" Miko asked, feeling a little forgotten. _

"_Oh, Miko, I'm so sorry!" Kuna apologized. "I've… been busy, and there really wasn't a reason for me to come."_

"_Busy? Is there a reason now, Kuna?" Miko asked, feeling that this was more then just an unexpected visit. Kuna nodded, as Miko was expecting. Her sister's eyes dropped away. _

"_Kuna, you know you can tell me why you're here." _

"_I have to tell you," Kuna whispered, looking up. "That's just it, Miko, I need to talk to you." _

"_About what?" Kuna took a deep breath._

"_Your battle with Morgrim…" she paused, "and…our mother." Miko froze. _

"_Don't say it!" she cried. "You don't have to, so just don't! I don't want to hear! I'm not going to listen." _

"Please, _Miko!" Kuna begged, whimpering. "I've been sent! I _have _to talk to you!" _

"_It's true, isn't it?" Miko whispered, now lying on the ground. Kuna nodded slowly. Miko howled with frustration. _

"_All this time," she growled. _

"_Don't kill him, Miko."_

"_What?"_

"_Don't kill Morgrim for this… for anything." _

"_Why not?! He deserves to die!"_

"_Miko!" Kuna objected. "No one deserves to die!" _

"_What's the _real _reason?" Miko asked. "Why shouldn't I kill him? You should at least let me know that."_

"_I couldn't say," Kuna muttered, "I don't know." Miko flexed her muscles, her claws digging into the ground, deep in thought. _

"_Come on, Miko," Kuna barked, trying to lift the mood, "let's put this whole conversation behind and just talk. We probably won't have a chance soon." Miko nodded, smiling, happy to have her mind off things _

"_How have things been?" Kuna wondered. "For me, to put it simply, interesting. The same people who sent me to you in the first place won't tell me anything and they are all frantic about something."_

"_I know the feeling," Miko agreed. "Haven't you been able to feel it? Warmth is on the breeze, and you know what will happen." Kuna nodded sadly, then looked down at her paws. There was a moment of silence. _

"_Do you still remember?" she whispered. _

"_How could I forget?" Miko answered, her eyes glistening. "I can't stop remembering, no matter how hard I try. I think about it every day. I think about what I could have done differently, what went wrong, how…." She paused and choked out the next words. "How I could have saved you."_

"_Oh, Miko, don't," Kuna begged. "Please, it just hurts. You've got to move on without me. I'll always be in your dreams and that has to be enough." _

"_But it isn't," Miko whispered. "I need you by my side. I can feel your heartbeat when I think about you. I can remember what it was like when you were still here. Kuna…" The tears were flowing freely down the spirit wolf's cheeks now. _

"_I should go," she muttered. "Miko, whenever I'm around all I do is cause you pain." _

"_No," Miko objected, shaking her head. _

"_Just try to forget."_

Miko sat in her bed, now as a human again, feeling the water on her cheeks. She felt more alone than ever in the darkness of her tent.

"I can't."

_~The next morning~_

"Miko?" Ferrid walked up to his foster sister, looking concerned. She was hauling supplies on a horse as if for a long journey.

"I'm leaving for awhile, Ferrid. It'll only be a couple days. I have to go back to where it happened," she explained.

"You mean…?"

"Yes."

"Miko you can't! We need you here!" Ferrid cried, grabbing her arm.

"Let me go!" Miko shouted. Many eyes turned on them. The black-haired girl turned into a wolf as a last resort. Her paw slipped right through her brother's grasp. Then she ran.

Cries sounded around her, but she ignored them. That was, until one unmistakable snarl sounded. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to see Aslan. His back was turned and he was saying something to a crowd who had gathered in the entrance to the camp.

It was a couple minutes before the mighty lion turned to face her, his golden mane swaying. Would he make her go back? Then Miko saw him nod. It was his approval, she could tell. She nodded back, smiling, then hurried on her way, back towards the stream. Back where it had all happened.

* * *

Ferrid watched sadly as his sister rushed off.

"Will she be alright?" he asked Aslan. The lion had been their keeper for as long as he could remember. He knew Miko well enough by now to trust her judgment.

"Yes," Aslan answered. "She will be absolutely fine. Your sister is an impulsive one, but we must also respect when she needs time alone." There was a long pause as the two sat deep in thought. All the other camp residents had returned to whatever they were doing before the commotion, most knowing Miko well enough to figure she was off doing something unbeneficial again.

"Her sister visited her in her dreams last night," Aslan informed Ferrid.

"Kuna? The messenger?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes. That is why your sister is leaving us for awhile." Ferrid glanced at Aslan, and left without another word.

* * *

It was sunset by the time Miko reached the familiar forest. She glanced around.

_Where was that again?_ She wondered with frustration. _Think, Miko think! There was some kind of trick to-_

At that moment she spotted a large clump of moss on the ground. It went behind a tree, out of sight. Miko leaned down, feeling it with her hand.

"Yes!" she cried, hopping up. Hair flying wildly around, Miko rushed behind the tree, following the moss. The clump got thinner as she went, but was still visible enough to follow.

She wasn't paying attention as she went, rushing along, facing the moss trail she was following. And she saw nothing of the tree that came out of no where and hit her in the face a moment later.

Miko laid there for a minute. "Owwwww…." She moaned. She sat up, feeling slightly dizzy and very much in pain. "Aw, damn…"

Then she looked around quickly. Her eyes widened when she realized where she was.

"Yes," she whispered. "I've found it!" She took a moment to marvel it, memories flooding back, as fresh as if they'd only happened yesterday. "The place where Kuna died."

**A/N another chappie for my readers! Hope you like this one, it was kind of touching. Also, just a warning, the next one will be pretty sad. Probably won't make you cry, unless you cry at just about anything sad. In case it was unclear what Kuna talked to Miko about: she was saying that Morgrim didn't kill their mother. **

**R&R as always! And, if you haven't been reading the A/N notes, you should!**


	4. Loss is Hard

**A/N Second new chapter of the day! I'm kind of going at an irregular pace with this story. Come the holidays, I'm having more motivation to give you guys chappies. Reveiws always help, too! So, here you go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia, especially the part in here from the movie!**

**Chapter 4**

**Loss is hard**

"_Are you sure it's ok?" Kuna asked nervously. _

"_Positive," I answered. "There's nothing to be afraid of! Don't be a scardey-wolf! I'll go first if it'll make you feel better."  
"It will," Kuna answered. I sighed. _

"_Ok." My sister surely wasn't the bravest wolf in the forest. Tumnus had often told me I had the heart of a lion. But he'd said she was special in her own way, with the heart of a gentle deer or something. _

_Now we were standing by the creek near the house. I'd been ice sliding here before, but this was the first time I'd brought Kuna. She was nervous, like she was about everything else. I put a paw on the ice, then two, and soon all four were there. I used the grip on my pads to my advantage. _

"_See, perfectly safe," I assured my sister. _

"_Even when you move on it?" Kuna asked. I moved out farther, zipping over the middle to the opposite shore. _

"_Miko!" Kuna cried. "Be careful!" _

"_I will!" I barked, rolling my eyes. I moved up and down the shore a couple times, trying to convince my sister. "Come on, it helps keep you warm!" I persuaded. "The more you move around the warmer you are." _

"_I guess I _am _a little chilly," Kuna admitted. "Ok, I'm coming." She took a tentative step out onto the ice, then another. Then, she pushed off the shore a little, until she was almost near the middle. _

"_Hey this is fun!" Kuna cried with delight. She slid clumsily forward a few inches, and that's when the ice cracked. _

"_Kuna move!" I shouted. My sister didn't budge. She was trembling with fear. _

"_Get out of the way!" The crack was about a tail long, and the yellow-tinted wolf's trembling only made it worse. The ice shook underneath her, and the crack lengthened about two times the length it was before. _

"_Kuna!" I shouted desperately, now more scared then I'd ever been in my life. _

_Then there was a stomach-churning crack, and the ice fell apart in pieces. The floes sunk under, taking my sister with them. _

"_Kuna!" I screamed. Her head popped up a few seconds later. _

"_M-Miko! I-I l-love y-y-you!" she howled. _

"_No, no!" I howled. "No, Kuna! Please! Don't leave me!.... Please…." I turned to the skies, rushing down the bank after my sister._

"_TUMNUS!!!" I howled with all my life. I'd probably lose my voice after this. _

"_TUMNUS!!!"  
I heard the sound of hooves on the snow. My nose twitched with the familiar smell. _

"_Miko!" The fawn shouted, coming through the forest on the opposite shore. Then he noticed my sister. "Kuna!" We followed her downstream. _

"_Try to paddle this way!" I shouted. "Or, towards Tumnus, I don't really care, as long as you try to get out!" Kuna dug her small claws into the ice. With her right paw, she tried to come towards me. She was making her was slowly. _

"_M-Miko, I-I'm s-so c-c-cold. I can't f-feel my p-paw!" Kuna chattered. _

"_Please, please don't freeze!" I answered her. "Come on, this way! You can do it!" She was almost there. Just a few feet more, and I would be able to pull my sister out of the water. I leaned over the edge as far as I could go, while keeping up with the floe as it drifted downstream. A little ways ahead, I saw some rocks, making a path out towards the middle of the creek. _

"_I'm going to go ahead onto those rocks!" I cried to Kuna, and Tumnus, too, really. I went as fast as possible, jumping nimbly out on the rocks. Kuna was still a ways away, and I had time, but not a lot, to plan what I was going to do. I figured if I lunged for her scruff, or at least her paw, I'd be able to drag her up next to me._

_Then the ice floe was there, coming rapidly. I took a few steps forward, as far as I could go without getting pulled in. I leaned out over the water until my muscles hurt. This was it, there was a series of small waterfalls past these rocks, and if I didn't get her now, Kuna would die. No pressure or anything. _

_The floe my sister was on came up rapidly then, and I barley had time to lunge, but I did. I caught Kuna's paw in my jaws, tasting her blood in my mouth. Maybe I'd bitten a little too hard. But, now she was safe, that was the important part. _

"_I'm gowang to puw you in naw," I managed. I started tugging as hard as I could, getting Kuna's other paw up on the rocks. Suddenly there was a cry from the other bank._

"_Miko! Watch out!" Tumnus called. I turned to my left, looking back the way I came. Apparently, all the ice had cracked and some of it followed us. There was a giant floe coming straight towards us, about as big as my sister and I combined. _

_I jumped back, doing the stupidest thing possible… I let go. _

_The ice floe rammed into Kuna and she let out a piercing howl that went right through my heart like a sword. I watched helplessly as my sister fell down the first of many small waterfalls and hit the rocks, the water carrying her body under the ice. Even if she'd survived the rocks, she'd never be able to get through the ice. _

"_We have to go after her!" I cried, feeling fresh tears warming my cheeks. Tumnus shook his head. _

"_It's too late," he admitted. I could tell he was crying too. _

"_But she might still have a chance!" I shouted, though I knew it wasn't true. "We can go down and cut her out of the ice!" _

"_Miko, listen to me," Tumnus replied calmly, though his words were choked, "she was in the water too long. There's no way she would survive, even if we could get her out. Besides, there's no way to get down to that ice without breaking our own necks! It's a fifteen foot drop if we tried to go down. And the ice down there is probably as thin as it was up here. It would probably crack if we leapt on it. It's too late." _

Later, at the house

_I had been crying for at least a half an hour in Tumnus's arms. I'd turned back into a human as soon as we'd reached home, to warm up with some hot cocoa. I'd only felt a little cool in my whole time outside though. Finally I stopped bawling and switched to just tears streaming quietly down my face. _

"_Do you think you can listen to me for just a minute?" Tumnus asked softly. I nodded. _

"_Good," he replied. There was a moment of silence. "Dear, you have to understand it wasn't your fault," the fawn started, stroking my hair. "There was no way you could save both you and your sister. If we were really unlucky, you may have gone with her. But, you had no choice. You had to save yourself. But, you tried, and I'm proud of you for that." He paused a moment and I let the words sink in. _

_I knew he was right, but I still wish there was something I could have done. If I had been with Tumnus, he'd have been able to help her. Why did I have to make her come towards me? I thought. It was a few minutes before the fawn recollected himself to start again. _

"_Would you feel better if we had a little ceremony to send her off?" he asked. I nodded. _

"_Yes," I replied, my voice hoarse from disuse. "I want to make sure she makes it." _

_But I knew deep in my heart, my sister was already among the world of the dead. _

I sat against the tree; the same tree that we'd rested against before ice-sliding. It was the tree we'd played by all the time. Our small claw marks were visible, etched in its bark forever. I ran my finger along them. Tears were flowing down my cheeks now, remembering that horrible day.

Kuna had always had a knack for knowing when danger was about. Her being paranoid about the ice was no mistake. I should have paid more attention. I still blamed myself. There was nothing that was going to change that.

_Why couldn't I have discovered my powers sooner? _I thought. I exhaled, causing a few frosty flakes to come from my mouth. Now I was the only one left.

My mother was dead, my sister was dead, and only my mother knew who my father was. She never told anyone. And, he was probably dead too, now. He probably left my mother when she was pregnant. Then he probably joined Jadis or something and got killed.

Bastard.

I was glad I didn't know my father. I was positive he wasn't any good. Tumnus had always said that my mother didn't seem like she missed him.

Then again, he also said she was brilliant at hiding her emotions. But he'd said he could usually see through her shield.

Ah, so many controversies.

But, I still didn't think my father was anyone to be proud about. Even if he was alive, he was probably infamous around his parts for a bunch of horrible crap. I sighed, watching the beautiful colors of the sky slowly fade into blues as the sun set.

Tomorrow I'd head back. It felt good to see the old forest again. Where I'd played and rested and gotten into all sorts of mischief. But, now I felt better, and it was time to head back. I knew I was needed, or would be soon. I picked up a little of the thin layer of snow on the ground. It would not be long now. Not long before the humans came, and my destiny with them.

* * *

Three children, one younger and the other two closer together, and two beavers looked fearfully across the river. The ice was slowly breaking apart and being swept away down the strong current. The oldest boy took a step onto the ice, which swayed dangerously, and jumped back again.

"Maybe I should go first," one of the beavers said. The boy nodded, and the beaver took a careful step forward, patting the ice with his foot. He moved farther out, testing it with his tail. With another step, the ice cracked, but didn't give way.

"You've been sneaking second helpings!" The beaver left on shore accused, though she was obviously worried.

"You never know what meal will be your last!" Mr. Beaver called back. Then muttering, "Especially the way you cook." So she couldn't hear.

The children followed, more carefully this time. The boy went first, his younger sister clinging to the sleeve of his coat. Then the older girl followed them. Mrs. Beaver had snuck ahead, behind her husband. As the children made their way over the ice, it began to crack dangerously. The younger girl let out a cry.

They made it about halfway across the river, stepping a little more confidently, when a chunk of ice fell from the waterfall to the left. They looked up quickly to see at least two wolves running across the top.

"Hurry!" The oldest boy shouted. They rushed for safety. The ice was flowing with the current more quickly now, breaking off in chunks dangerously close to where the children and beavers were. Suddenly, two wolves leapt down in front of them, growling. They turned to run the other way, back to where they'd come, but some more wolves were blocking that direction, too.

There was also a lone wolf sitting silently above them. Its blue eyes flickered between the children and Morgrim, the lead wolf. The white wolf watched on, intrigued. She knew how this battle would end, but not how it would get there.

Mr. Beaver flung a paw at one of the wolves blocking their way, and it easily grabbed him by the neck.

"Peter!" The youngest girl shouted to get her brother's attention. He quickly pulled out his sword, aiming it at the lead wolf, though his hand was shaking.

"I'd put that away," Morgrim snarled, grinning evilly. "Someone might get hurt." The gray wolf advanced on them, backing them closer to the edge of the ice. Any second it could crack, sending them into the water.

"Leave now and your brother goes with you," Morgrim offered.

"Maybe we should listen to him!" The oldest girl suggested. They all wanted to get their brother, Edmund, back from the White Witch. That was at least something they could agree on.

"Don't listen to him!" Mr. Beaver cried.

"Look," Morgrim growled, losing patience. "All we really want is for you and your siblings to go home."

The kids were backing up more now, and the water was drawing nearer. There was already a gap between them and the wolves blocking the way they had come.

"So, what's it going to be?" Morgrim asked. "I won't wait forever… neither will the river. The youngest girl looked up at the waterfall.

"Peter!" She shouted, distracting him from the wolf. The older two looked up at the waterfall, where a giant crack was running straight down the middle. Water poured out, threatening to break loose any moment.

"Hold on to me!" Peter shouted, pulling the sword high above his head and bringing it down into the ice.

Morgrim looked up at the water, his amber eyes showing despair. And the wall of ice came crashing down with a roar. A massive waterfall flowed over them, and Mrs. Beaver leaped into the water.

Morgrim's wolves had abandoned him by now, leaving him to slip off his ice floe.

The white wolf watching above slipped away, knowing there was not much more she could see from where she was now.

And down they all went, being pulled under the surface by the roaring wave.

* * *

"Miko!"

"Ferrid?"

Right away when I came to the camp the next afternoon, my brother was there to greet me. Why? I had no idea. But, he seemed anxious about something.

"Miko, they're here!" Ferrid shouted as I came up to him.

"Who?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. My thoughts were still wrapped up in all the things I was going through at the moment. The White Witch was rising in power, and my time was coming nearer. The past was threatening to break loose, and I wanted more than ever to pursue it. Plus, Kuna's message was bothering me like crap.

"Who?!" Ferrid cried. "What are you, stupid? The Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve!"

My breath caught in my throat like a giant log. Suddenly my world came crashing down around me.

Well, at least it would soon enough.

**A/N Woohoo, you get a part from the movie in here. The kids have arrived, and now Miko is flipping out. So, you know something's coming. As always, R&R!**


	5. Capture

**A/N Whoa! Haven't heard from this story in awhile now have we? Well, I haven't completely forgotten about it, I promise. Want to know the truth? I was too lazy to go back and watch the movie to find out how the next part went. It's sad, really, I know. Well, now that I _finally _have, I am back and raring to go to work on this! I have so much planned for the future, and I'm not abandoning you all now! Thanks for being patient, though it's been so long that you probably have to go back and re-read the whole thing just to figure out what's going on here. Well, I did too, so you're not the only ones. Hope you enjoy your new chappie! Expect halfway-consistent updating from here on out! **

**Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis owns Narnia. Not me. Got it?**

**Chapter 5**

I was fretting over what I'd say to them. I looked like a mess, I hadn't changed clothes in two days, almost, and I had plants stuck all over me.

To make matters worse, it was going to be really hard to be nice to them. They were bringing my doom! They didn't know it, and it wasn't their fault, but it was still going to happen. I stiffened up when I saw them. Ferrid tugged on my arm. I didn't budge.

"Miko, come on!" he pressed.

"I can't," I protested. "I'm not going to be able to talk to them."

"Why not?" Ferrid asked stubbornly, knowing he could find a way to make me.

"They're bringing my doom!" I answered reasonably.

"No," Ferrid shook his head. "Your doom is supposed to come _after_ they do, it's not their fault."

"Crap," I grumbled. He was right. One of these days I was going to find a way to win an argument with him. I allowed myself to be dragged over to the humans.

The oldest boy was probably my age, the older girl a few years younger. The youngest of the three was a girl who was maybe eight. I couldn't help but notice they seemed to be one short.

They looked at us as we approached. I felt hot with embarrassment at my appearance.

"King and queens," Ferrid addressed, bending down on one knee. They looked at him oddly.

"Um, yeah… what he said," I said awkwardly, continuing to stand.

"Let me introduce myself," Ferrid continued, shooting me a look as he stood back up. "I am Ferrid, and this is my little sister Miko."

"Hey! I could have introduced myself!" I protested. "Why'd you get to introduce both of us?"

"I'm older," Ferrid shrugged.

"That's not fair! I can't help being younger!" I cried.

In a more hushed voice Ferrid said, "I was helping you talk to them less." I sighed. I couldn't argue with that.

"Fine," I growled.

We turned back to the humans, who looked confused beyond belief.

"I'm sorry," Ferrid apologized.

"I'm not really his sister," I explained. "He sort of adopted me when I came to this camp." The oldest boy stepped forward.

"My name is Peter Pevensie, and these are my sisters, Susan and Lucy," He introduced himself.

"Will _you _help us?" Lucy asked. I looked down at the little girl. She was quite bold for her age. "Our brother Edmund was captured by the White Witch." I stiffened up. The mere mention of that name sent shivers down my spine.

"I'm sure Aslan will call on us to help rescue him if we can," I told her, leaning down so I was at her height. Then I glanced at Ferrid. "Well, _me _anyway."

"Hey!" Ferrid protested.

"Are you humans, too?" Susan asked from behind Lucy. "That is, if you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all, my lady," Ferrid assured her. I quickly cut in to explain.

"We're shapeshifters," I said. "We can turn into wolves at will. I was also born as a wolf, while Ferrid wasn't. After I was born, my mother took me to a fawn named Tumnus. Aslan told me that he brought me here when I was ten on my mother's request."

"Mr. Tumnus! You know him?" Lucy cried. It looked like she was about to burst into tears. Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "He was taken by the White Witch, too!"

"What?" I couldn't stop a fierce, un-human growl from escaping my throat. Susan pulled Lucy closer to her and Peter took a step back. Ferrid put his hand on my shoulder. I was shaking under his grip.

"Aslan..." I muttered angrily. I escaped my brother's grip easily, morphing into a wolf as I ran for the place I'd last seen the great lion.

Peter drew his sword and began to rush after Miko, but Ferrid put his arm out to hold him back, expression completely serious and un-readable.

"This is between them," he said sternly. "Miko lost her mother when she was little and Tumnus took care of her since until she was ten. He was like her father. Besides, you can't worry about either of them. Aslan can take care of himself, and he wouldn't hurt my sister. He views her almost as a daughter these days."

"That's awful!" Lucy cried as Peter put his sword away. Ferrid nodded, remembering the first time Miko came to Aslan's camp.

They were both of the same species- to certain degrees, and the great lion had asked him to take care of her. He had parents, at least, even if they were somewhere else in Narnia every week. Miko had never known her father and her mother had died soon after she was born. And after hearing about the loss of her sister... he couldn't say no to taking her in.

"We had to leave our mother because of the war," Susan said sadly. Ferrid looked over at her.

"But at least you and I will get our mothers back," He replied, voice full of sympathy- for the humans and his sister. "Miko can never have that hope."

"Aslan!" I shouted. The majestic lion turned calmly to look at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, returning to my human form.

"It would only have upset you," Aslan responded. "I need you at your best in these times. You are..."

"The savior, the chosen one, the girl that's supposed to die after thirty seconds of glory..." I spat. "Yeah. I've heard it _all _before."

Aslan chuckled. "I was going to say that you are one of my strongest warriors, and closest advisors."

"Oh," I said, pausing. I hadn't been expecting that. A little late, the realization hit me. Tumnus was in the White Witch's hands... probably dead. I couldn't stop the tears.

"I miss him," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around the great lion's neck and burying my face in his warm mane. "I haven't seen him forever and now he's gone. Just like the rest of them. Why does everyone I love get hurt?"

"You have kept Ferrid safe so far," Aslan reminded me. "You are very good at protecting those close to you."

I pulled away from Aslan, pulling myself together.

"I need to go change. I probably looked like a minotaur to the humans," I said, managing a small laugh. I would hate for someone to run into me in a dark alley. I began to walk back down the hill before stopping. I turned back to Aslan, smiling. "Thank you."

I'd changed out of my old clothes, into a new outfit. It wasn't fancy- nothing compared to what Susan had been wearing, but it was comfortable, which was all I really needed. It was a loose blueberry-colored shirt with earthy brown pants that were too long for me. I pulled on my most casual pair of shoes, though I usually preferred to run around camp barefoot.

Just as I was leaving my tent to wash out my hair in my stream I heard a horn sounding from that direction- a distress call. I ran as fast as my feet would take me, making a sheet of ice to slide on for speed. It would melt quickly in the now warm weather anyway. I burst through into the clearing to see Susan and Lucy up in a tree while three gray wolves snapped at their feet.

A second later, Peter came splashing through the stream on the other side of the tree, drawing his sword as he ran.

"Stay away from them!" He shouted. I morphed into a wolf, ready to fight as he pointed his sword at the wolf closest to him. It was Morgrim.

The three wolves hadn't noticed me yet. If Peter got himself into trouble, I could easily overtake them.

"Watch out!" Susan shouted from in the tree. Peter swung his sword between the three wolves.

"We both know you don't have it in you," Morgrim taunted.

Suddenly, Aslan came from the trees, pinning down one of Morgrim's assistants with one paw. The other jumped back, growling at the lion. A group of centaurs was behind him with two cheetahs, ready to intervene.

"This is Peter's battle!" the great lion warned them.

"No!" I interrupted. All of them turned to me except for Peter, who kept his eyes on Morgrim and the other wolf on his left. _Good boy,_ I thought, _it would be in Morgrim's nature to try something while you were distracted. _

"Isn't it me you want?" I asked the wolf who had been my mortal enemy for so long. I walked up to the tree, closer to my enemies, before continuing. "The one to defeat your precious leader? It's me that you should be worrying about. They only get their part if I can complete mine!"

"Don't worry," Morgrim growled, smirking. "I'll kill you next!"

With that, the head of the secret police whipped around to lunge at Peter. I barley noticed the cries of the girls in the tree as I made my move. Peter raised his sword to defend himself, but I was faster. I pinned Morgrim swiftly to the ground, my powers flowing through my paws, freezing him in a casing of ice thick enough to keep him from moving.

It wasn't like me to leave a job half-done. Remembering the other wolf in their party, I turned to Peter.

"Behind you!" I shouted. With Aslan glaring down his back, the wolf had been slow to make his move, but now he lunged. Peter thrust his sword forward slightly, and I watched it slide through the remaining wolf's chest.

"Peter!" The two girls shouted, leaping out of the tree with amazing agility. They rushed to their brother's side, pushing at the wolf carcass on top of him.

I'd felt it's life force vanish half a second after Peter stabbed it. I watched calmly on, finding their worrying almost amusing. The only thing they'd have to worry about was their brother having a heart attack from the adrenaline of the moment.

They heaved the body off of him, and he sat up quickly, looking amazed at what he'd just done. I saw him grin before Susan and Lucy hurried to hug him.

Aslan let up the other wolf that he'd been holding this whole time, and it ran off, whimpering.

"After it," he told the centaurs, turning to look at the humans, "it'll lead you to Edmund." The girls smiled at the lion. The centaurs and cheetahs turned to run in pursuit.

"Peter," Aslan spoke, "clean your sword."

The boy wiped it off in the grass before kneeling in front of the great lion. A golden paw rested on his left shoulder briefly before Aslan lifted it again.

"Rise, Sir Peter Wolfsbane," he commanded, Peter obeying, "knight of Narnia."

Peter turned to smile at his sisters. Lucy grinned right back in return. Susan hesitated for a moment, shaking her head slightly as she returned a slight smile of her own. I chuckled to myself, wishing Ferrid was there.

The boy turned back to Aslan with a newfound confidence in his gaze before sheathing his sword.

I had almost forgotten about Morgrim until I heard the sound of metal sliding smoothly against its covering's sides. Just then, I felt his teeth dig into my right leg. I let out a howl that echoed around the small space, letting my right foot up from the wolf under me. I pressed my left onto his neck, letting out a growl as I hardened his throat in a layer of ice as well. That had to be uncomfortable.

"Miko!" Peter shouted. I heard the sound of undergrowth crunching as others came to my aid. Ferrid was among them. He stayed back, knowing I wouldn't want him fussing over me. I turned to the three centaurs and two fauns that had answered my howl.

"I want him as a prisoner," I commanded. "I need to question him."

The creatures carried out my commands as I stepped off my enemy.

"This isn't over, girl," He growled.

"No," I agreed, "it's just begun."

I morphed back into a human before approaching the others. There was a large bite mark on my right arm, about the size of a dog's, since I'd gotten it as a wolf. It had to shrink a little to fit my human arm, but still stretched from just above my elbow to halfway between my elbow and my wrist. The blood hadn't hesitated to trickle down to my hand.

"You're hurt!" Lucy cried. She rushed to pull out a small bottle from the sack left hanging on the tree. I recognized the healing liquid inside it.

"Save it," I called to her. "You'll need it for injuries much worse than mine." The little girl started at my arm for a long moment before hesitantly putting it away.

My blood had already started it's fast healing process of freezing up and the wound was almost completely scabbed over already.

"Miko!" Ferrid ran to my side. He stared wide-eyed at my arm before growling. "I'm going to kill him."

"No way, he's mine!" I shouted "Besides, someone's always wounded in a fight, it's not anything you should worry about. If you clean it up, you'll see the worst part was the bleeding."

"Uh-huh, we'll just see about that," Ferrid challenged. Aslan shook his head, smiling, from the trees, before turning tail and leaving. But, not before I could flash him a grin.

"Are you two always like this?" Peter asked, laughing.

"You're one to talk," Susan smiled back at him. She came over to me and grabbed the un-injured part of my arm. "Come on. We need to prove your brother wrong."

**A/N Wow, Miko's cried in, like, every chapter so far. WIMP! No, I'm kidding. Her life story really is sad. I'm going to do the majority of the rest of the story from her POV like this chapter, just to let you know. Wow, I typed almost all of this in, like, an hour. Hopefully I can keep up that trend for you guys' sake. Yay, no cliffhangers! Well, sorta, anyway... Yes, I altered the storyline a little, but Peter still got his moment of glory, so DEAL. As always, you R&R and I continue updating! Till later!**


	6. Last Disagreements

**A/N I am sorry I have died for so long on this story! I know I said I'd get this chapter up before I left, and I was going to right after I got back, but now It's been forever! I've had this chapter done for forever, too, it just took me awhile to get it up! But you'll be happy to know that I've got the next chapter ready to go as well, so now you'll just have to bug me about getting it up on time. Well, I'm gonna stop babbling and let you read now. **

**Disclaimer: I'm so sorry! I own nothing but my characters!**

**Chapter 6: Last Disagreements**

"If you wouldn't move, it wouldn't hurt as much!" Susan scolded me. I heard Ferrid laugh farther down the shore.

"Shut up!" I growled back at him. I stifled another cry as the slight movement of my arm shot more hot pain through it. Susan had done a great job of cleaning up my arm so we could see how bad it really was. It had been worse than I thought, but not as gut-wrenching as Ferrid had predicted, so we decided to call that one a tie.

Now, she was cleaning up the wound itself to keep it from getting infected. I could tell it was already starting to heal, but that didn't make the pain any less bearable.

I saw Peter smile slightly and shake his head from beside my brother. Lucy was over by me, and by her expression you'd think I was dying.

"Not you too!" I sighed at the other boy. I flinched as Susan began dabbing at my arm again.

"Are you sure...?" Lucy began. She stopped.

"I'm alright, Lu," I assured her, pulling my arm away from an agitated Susan. "See? It's already starting to heal."

"Are you going to let me clean it or not?" the older sister demanded. I turned back to her, smiling.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I'm not used to anyone making such a fuss over me."

"Are there any bandages anywhere around here?" Susan asked my brother.

"Of course," Ferrid answered. "Though my sister's used most of them." I shrugged, making him chuckle. "I'll go grab some from the medical tent." He stood up and disappeared through the trees where Aslan had first come with the centaurs.

The clearing was quiet after that. Peter was playing in the water a ways away from us three girls. Lucy was leaning against the tree, looking like she was deep in thought. Susan continued dabbing at my arm with the small square cloth that she'd conveniently had with her. I only flinched a couple of times, when she had to rub off some of the drying blood around my elbow.

"There, you should be good," Susan said finally, going to the stream to wash off her blood-stained cloth. The blue water turned to red when she put it in, eventually washing downstream and clearing up again.

Ferrid returned with the bandages.

"Thank you," I said to Susan.

"See, they're not so bad after all," Ferrid laughed. I stuck my tongue out at him. But, I knew he was right. I'd forgotten all about the prophecy until he'd brought it up. The humans weren't anything like I'd expected them to be. I liked them and I wanted to befriend them. Well, except for the last one.

Susan began bandaging up my arm, making sure I could still bend it, though it was a bit stiffer. I blew a few icy flakes from my finger, testing out my arm. The Pevensies watched me, amazed.

"How'd you do that?" Susan asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I've always been able to do it." I blew a few more flakes into the air and they caught the sunlight, sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow. I'd done this before, and it always amazed me. I'll admit that I was showing off a little for the humans, but they didn't complain.

"It's like magic!" Lucy cried excitedly. I stopped and turned to smile at her, the remaining flakes melting in the new warmth.

"It is magic," I told her. Ferrid shook his head at my amusement.

"Come on, it's getting late," he said. "We'd better get back to camp. Aslan's going to start wondering what kept us."

"With luck we'll have Ed back tomorrow, too," Peter added to his sisters. "The sooner we start tomorrow, the better."

* * *

I was temporarily blinded as I walked out into the new spring. I wasn't quite used to the new appearance my world had taken. Instead of the wonderful whiteness, everything was colorful. Somewhere inside I was happy that I wouldn't have to look at the same old color every day for the rest of my life, but it also meant the rest of my life was shortening by the day.

The camp was alive with noise. Everyone was anticipating a battle soon. The White Witch wouldn't wait too much longer. I sighed, trying to decide what to do first. There was still the matter of Morgrim to attend to, but I wasn't sure what to ask him first.

Then I saw them.

Aslan was up on his hill- the same one on which I'd approached him about Tumnus yesterday. The one that I loved for its view of Cair Paravel. And there the boy was- polluting my beautiful hill. Aslan was talking to him, and he was listening with his head down shamefully.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Peter emerge from his tent to the right of mine. He caught my glance, and I turned back to the hill. He followed my gaze to his brother and Aslan. Susan and Lucy followed closely out of their tent on Peter's other side. They stopped and looked to the hill where both of us were staring.

"Edmund!" Lucy shouted. She began to run towards her other brother. Peter put his arm out and caught her from going any further. Her smile faded.

The pair on the hill turned towards our group, hearing Lucy's cry. Edmund turned back to Aslan, who nodded slightly in return. The boy made his way past the great lion and down to his siblings. I shot Aslan a look, not trusting Edmund enough to let him roam free. But his stare told me that the boy was fine.

I sighed and turned away from Aslan to glare at him, watching his every move. The lion followed gracefully as the family was reunited.

"What's done is done," the golden ruler told them. "You don't need to speak to your brother about what has passed." With a last glance at me, he stalked off.

As soon as he was gone, Lucy ran up and hugged him, then Susan.

"I'm fine," the boy said. "Just a little tired."

"Get some sleep," Peter commanded, motioning towards his tent. Then he smiled. "And try not to wander off." Edmund laughed at this. It was an inside joke that I would probably never understand.

The younger boy headed for the tent, noticing me as he went. He stopped to look at me as I glared at him. He was the reason Tumnus was in the White Witch's hands. I growled and he made a hasty retreat into his tent.

I sighed. This was going to be a much longer day than I had first thought. I caught the confused looks of the humans. Not bothering to try and explain, as they would only try to convince me otherwise, I morphed into a wolf to go discover if my brother knew about this.

* * *

"So they're all together now, huh?" Ferrid pondered. "That should be a good thing, then. That means Narnia's future is safe."

"That's _not _a good thing, Ferrid!" I protested. "That means my days are numbered!

"Prophecies never say what they mean," Ferrid said calmly. "You don't see me worrying, do you? And I'm the person who's always most worried about you."

"But we don't know what the prophecy actually _says,_" I pointed out. "We only know that it says something about the ice princess defeating the ice queen and dying shortly afterwards."

"The girl has a point."

My brother and I turned to look at the newcomer.

"Juliana!" I cried happily, running to embrace my aunt. "What are you doing here?"

Juliana was my mother's sister. They had also had another brother, but neither knew what had become of him. They'd lost track of him when their pack was separated by an attack from the White Witch's minions. I'd only seen her a couple times before, but we were really close, being she was about the only relative I had left.

She was about Ferrid's height and had syrup-colored hair that was now tied back in a long braid. The top of her dress was brown, then turned green at her waist and stopped at her ankles- her typical earthy attire.

"We heard that the war was coming soon," Juliana replied, now serious. "And while everyone else ran as far away as possible, of course, being your mother's sister, I wanted to join in. And we all agreed it was a good opportunity to come and see you."

_For the last time, _I finished for her. Juliana knew about the prophecy, too, just like everyone here. It had at least made my day knowing that I'd get to spend time with the last of my family before I was killed.

"Where are the others?" Ferrid asked.

"We set up a camp not far from here," Juliana said. "I figured Aslan was crowded enough with you two."

"Juno's not joining the war, is she?" I questioned. My cousin was much to young to even understand what was going on. "It'll just be you and Orion, right?"

"Of course," Juliana replied. "I can't believe you'd even _think _that I might have Juno be joining, too, Miko!"

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "Things have... changed recently. The Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve have come, and we captured Morgrim yesterday. Look, I think I'd better be going. I have a lot to do today."

"Miko wait!" Ferrid called after me. I morphed into a wolf and took off before they could begin to follow me. They wouldn't have a chance of catching me if I got far enough ahead, though my brother probably knew where I was going.

"Miko!"

I turned to see the source of the voice that had called my name. Lucy was running towards me, away from her brothers and sister, who had a picnic set out between their two tents.

"Hello, Lucy," I smiled, stopping.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?" the little girl asked. "And Ferrid can come, too, if he wants."

"I am a bit hungry. Sure I'll come join you," I agreed, "but Ferrid's a little busy at the moment." Lucy looked disappointed.

"Oh," she said. Then she brightened back up. "At least we still have you!"

I morphed back into a human and let Lucy take my hand and lead me back to her siblings. Edmund was shoving food down his throat like there was no tomorrow. _He_ had nothing to worry about. I should have been the one doing that.

"They're not going to run out, you know," Lucy laughed, taking a seat to his right. I sat beside her, between the two girls, laughing with them. Peter was off a ways with a cup.

"Starving's _not _what you have to worry about," I grumbled.

"Who are you?" Edmund asked me.

"Chill, Ed," Lucy calmed him. "This is our new friend, Miko. She saved all three of us while you were gone, you know."

"What happened?" Edmund demanded.

"It's a long story," I growled.

"We can tell you about it back home," Peter said sullenly.

Everyone froze. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. How could they be leaving?

"We're going home?" Susan asked in shock.

"You're going home," Peter corrected. "I'm staying here." He wouldn't make eye contact with me. "Mom told me to keep you safe, but that doesn't mean I can't help."

He came down and sat across the blanket from me. We were all silent for a moment. Then I exploded.

"What?" I shouted at Peter, jumping to my feet. "How can you even think of leaving? Narnia needs you!"

"They need all _four _of us," Lucy added in. I turned to look at her.

"It's too dangerous," Peter said. He kept his eyes on his siblings. "Lucy, you almost drowned, and Edmund almost died."

"Too dangerous?" I burst. "I'm out here risking my butt every day and you can't even bother to stick around for a week?"

Peter looked up at me finally, hurt in his eyes. I almost flinched away from his gaze. He knew what I'd been through, and he didn't want that to happen to his family, too.

"But that's why we have to stay," Edmund said suddenly. We all turned to him. "I've seen what the White Witch can do and we can't leave these people to suffer." Susan stood up.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked. The older sister between them walked over to their stuff. She grabbed her bow and arrows.

"To get some practice," she smiled.

"My specialty," I agreed, turning to Peter. "Are you in?"

"Well then, I guess there's no stopping you," he sighed, grabbing his sword. "Let's get going.

I smiled at him. Glad that, for now at least, I had dodged _that _bullet.

* * *

I ran alongside Peter as he fought his brother on horseback, something neither had much practice with, I was sure. The former shouted out instructions as they went, and I added things that both of them could improve on. It put me in an unusually good mood, training.

"Edmund, Peter!" We all stopped, our heads turning to the source of the voice. One of the beavers that I had heard of arriving with the humans was running at us on all four paws.

"The White Witch is here," he cried, "and she's demanded a meeting with Aslan!"

**A/N R&R and you get a new chapter! :)**


	7. A Hard Decision

**A/N: I have the whole movie typed up into this story now, yay! So expect constant updates until the end of it, I'm as excited to put it up as you are to read it! Thank you to the one person who gave me a review! I'll admit I'm disappointed not to get more, but maybe this new chapter will give you reason to give me a review. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the awesomeness that is Narnia! (But I do own the awesomeness of my characters :)**

**Chapter 7: A Hard Decision**

That stupid boy! _He _was the reason she was here! After she was dead, I would use the little time left of my life to kill him!

I had morphed back into a human and came running up into the crowd around the tent with Peter and Edmund, Susan and Lucy not far behind us. Ferrid was already there, across the row from us, and he made eye contact with me.

The White Witch came up the row that the Narnians had unwillingly made for her, as the dwarf she always kept with her announced her arrival. The camp was in an uproar, and I could even hear Aslan's low growl. I snarled at the White Witch as her chair was set down and she stood, her gaze going over all the humans then stopping at Edmund.

She walked slowly up to Aslan, and the crowd quieted down to listen to what she had to say.

"You have a traitor in your midst," she said. Everyone turned to look at Edmund, who was looking at the ground. I kept my glare focused on the White Witch. It would do me no good to turn against him at the moment. "Have you forgotten the laws of which Narnia was built?"

Aslan snarled at her. "Do not recite the deep magic to me, witch! I was there when they were written!" This was the angriest I'd ever seen the lion. In truth, it sort of scared me.

"Then you will remember that all traitors belong to me!" she shouted. "His blood is my property!" I growled at her words.

"Try and take him then!" Peter challenged, drawing his sword beside me and pointing it at her. I turned to him in surprise as he stepped forward.

"Peter!" I hissed softly, throwing my arms around him to try and hold him back. The White Witch watched us for a moment in amusement as Peter stepped back, still brandishing his sword. She turned back to Aslan though still speaking to us.

"Aslan knows that if I do not have blood as the law demands, all of Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water." She pointed to Edmund as the Narnians began to protest. "That boy will die on the stone table, as is tradition!" We all turned to Aslan in horror, waiting for him to say something against this- to defend Edmund in any way. This would not be how it ended- there was no way the lion would allow it.

"Enough," he adressed the White Witch. "I shall speak with you alone."

There was complete silence as Aslan turned back to go into his tent and the White Witch followed.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at the tent where they had gone with a mix of emotions. I blushed slightly as I released Peter from my grip, though he didn't seem to notice.

Then, there was nothing left to do but wait.

It was hours before their meeting ended. We all sat in a circle- Peter, Edmund, Susan, Lucy, Ferrid and I. Everyone was silent, picking at the grass in boredom.

I was first to hear them coming out of the tent. Suddenly I shot up, making the humans look to me. Ferrid followed me quickly. As the White Witch emerged from Aslan's tent first, the other three quickly scrambled to their feet, and the various Narnians around us stood back in the two rows, all waiting to see what had happened.

The White Witch moved slowly out of the tent. She looked down at Edmund, smiling slightly, before making her way back down the row in silence.

Aslan followed her out, standing to the side of the tent, waiting for her to go. Our group's eyes were all trained on him, anxiously awaiting the news. He slowly turned his head from us to the rest of the army.

"She has renounced her claim on the Son of Adam's blood."

All Edmund's siblings hugged him gladly, while he stood stunned. Ferrid and I sighed in relief.

"How do I know your promise will be kept?" the White Witch countered.

The great lion let out a mighty roar, causing her to recoil into her chair in surprise. The various Narnians in the clearing let out a cheer at their leader's display, but I kept my eyes on Aslan. Something wasn't right.

He lowered his head in a great sigh before turning a mournful gaze to me. Lucy noticed this too, and her smile faded as the lion glanced at her before turning and retreating into his tent.

I snuck through the shadows, remaining unnoticed in the blackness of the night. Not a star was in sight- how appropriate for what was about to take place.

I didn't have far to go, but it was vital that I remained unseen or everything would be ruined. I passed Peter and Edmund's tent, pausing to listen in and make sure they were still asleep. Their breathing was even- I didn't think I could wake them up if I tried.

I hurried on to their sister's tent, my real destination. I slipped in silently.

"Lucy? Are you awake?" I whispered. A small shape sat up on her bed.

"Yes," she answered me, as equally as soft. "What are you doing here?"

"Miko?" Susan's voice came from across the room, quiet though sounding sleepy. Suddenly, a shadow passed across Lucy's side of the tent, in the shape of a lion. Susan sat up quickly. Lucy grabbed her belt and Susan her bow and quiver, though both were unnecessary, and seeing my cloak, also put theirs on.

I motioned for them to follow me out of the tent. I took them around to the side where we'd seen Aslan, and followed the great lion up the hill. Lucy and Susan followed me cautiously, though I romped ahead, my only care keeping up with the lion. I came up close behind him when he stopped. I froze where I was, Susan and Lucy standing still behind me.

"Shouldn't you all be in bed?" Aslan asked.

"We couldn't sleep," Lucy answered. I ran up and hugged the lion's neck before pulling away and putting my hand on his mane.

"Please Aslan, couldn't we come with you?" Susan asked, coming up more slowly on his other side, Lucy beside her.

"I had to say goodbye," I whispered before they were close enough to hear.

"I would be glad for the company for awhile," he answered them, before giving me a sad look. "Thank you." He continued walking through the trees.

"Why?" I asked softly.

"I did what I had to," Aslan replied. "You must tell Peter that it is in his hands now." I nodded, feeling like crying, though forcing myself not to. I remembered how Ferrid had told me of what was going on.

"_Something's not right." I had waited until after Ferrid and I were alone to ask. I was positive that he knew what was going on. _

"_There is only one way Aslan would ever get the White Witch to give up Edmund," my brother agreed. "A life for a life." I gasped in horror at what he was telling me. _

"_How could he?" I cried. "Why didn't he tell me? What about the others? They have the right to know too!" _

"_That is how Aslan is," Ferrid replied. "He needs you... all of you, ready for the battle, and cannot have you mourning for him." _

"_I didn't even get to say goodbye." Ferrid sighed greatly and muttered something to himself before turning back to me. _

"_He will go to the stone table tonight, and that is where he will be sacrificed for Edmund," he began. "There is a path there past the Queens' tent. I'm sure you'll figure something out. But, Miko, you have to get back before morning. We need you for this battle, and someone will have to deliver the message to the Narnians- especially Peter." _

The rest of the journey was made in silence. An air of grief and confusion hung about the lion. Susan and Lucy had, by now, also figured out at least that something awful was going to happen.

"It is time," Aslan finally said, stopping. I reluctantly pulled my hand away from his mane, and Susan and Lucy did the same. "From here I must go alone."

"But Aslan..." Susan began to protest.

"You must trust me," he told the two girls. I gave him one more look, and he turned to me.

"This must be done." I nodded sadly, and we all ran to hug the great lion once more, before he was gone. "Thank you."

We watched on in silence as he disappeared from sight. Susan and Lucy turned to me questioningly, picking up on the fact that I already knew what was to happen.

"Ferrid only said _I_ had to return," I told them softly. "You deserve to know, too." I pointed to a hill past them. "Just follow that hill up until you come to the top. There should be a small clearing with a gap between two bushes. You'll be able to see everything."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered. Susan nodded solemnly and led the way up. I watched until they were out of sight before waiting frozen in that spot. I listened to everything that was going on until finally, I heard the cries of the White Witch's followers, cheering on the lion's death. Then I turned slowly back in the direction of the camp to deliver the news to everyone else.

When I returned it was early in the morning. There was no sound to be heard except those of sleeping Narnians, though it wouldn't be long before I had to tell them all of what had befallen their leader. I wanted to get to Peter first, though. If the news came from him, maybe it would make this easier. Plus, he would be the one to lead them now. It was his right to know what had happened first.

I walked somberly to their tent, entering quietly. I approached the sleeping form of Peter on his bed. As much as I didn't want to disturb him, it was vital that they both know.

"Peter."

He opened his eyes and reflexively drew his sword, swinging it at me. Since he was still groggy it was easy to step back in time to avoid it. Edmund sat up quickly at the noise.

"Miko?" the blonde boy questioned. "What are you doing here?" He studied my mourning face and instantly knew something was amiss.

"Aslan is dead."

It was only a matter of time before everyone knew. The camp was soon alive with work. They were all training, sharpening swords, preparing for battle. With the news of Aslan's death also came the realization that war was on the horizon.

Their work had an air of mourning to it, a settling sadness with the news that the great lion had been murdered. But their was also a new urgency, a new ferocity. Now they would fight all the more to avenge the death of their leader. But now they would serve their new commander with an even greater venom

"You're going to have to lead them, now," I told Peter. I stood with him, Edmund, and Ferrid in a sort of lopsided circle outside his tent.

"I don't know if I can," the boy replied.

"Aslan believed in you," Edmund pointed out.

"And Aslan's dead, now, isn't he?" I spat. "We wouldn't even be in this predicament if it weren't for you."

"Easy, Miko," Ferrid said, trying to calm me. But it didn't work. My anger was at its ultimate high right now. First Tumnus, who was basically my father, now Aslan, who had taken that role after the faun had brought me here. They were both dead, thanks to Edmund.

"It's all your fault!" I accused. "If you hadn't been so stupid as to become one of her little pawns!" I growled, making Edmund take a step back. Peter and Ferrid rushed over to me, holding me back.

"Miko, this is not the time!" my brother reasoned. "There's a war on our hands and Aslan is expecting _you _to help lead it!" I relaxed enough to convince them I wasn't going to kill Edmund and they let me go.

"It's only a matter of time before the Witch's army comes," Orious approached us. "What are your orders, sir?"

Peter turned to me for support. I met his eyes with a straight seriousness.

"It's up to you now," I told him. "I am under your command just like everyone else. There is something I need to do before the battle comes."

"What you _should _be doing is sleeping," Peter said sternly. "You were out all night. I'm going to need you for this." I suddenly let out a yawn, proving his point.

"There's no time to sleep," I said. "There's too much to do. I have something I need to get done before this war, and then I need to get ready. If I find a minute at all, I'll try to take a nap."

"Fine," Peter agreed. He turned back to his brother and Orious. "We need to make a plan."

I left them to their battle plans and morphed into a wolf, running in the direction of the place they had isolated Morgrim when I had asked to keep him captive.

**A/N Some of you may have though that I was just gonna have Miko forget about Morgrim then he'd end up rotting in the forest during the battle! Well, you're wrong! Mwahahaha! I just had to make other things happen first before I could get to him. If you manage to guess what happens in the next chapter, I will dub you a psychic.**


	8. One More Peice

**A/N: Shorter chapter this time, not as well-written, sorry but I had to get this part in. Hope you don't kill me for writing it anyway!**

**Disclaimer: You all love C.S Lewis for writing Narnia, not me. I just add more awesomeness to it!**

**Chapter 8**

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," I assured the cheetah currently on guard duty. Her name was Karise, and she was one of my closest friends in my wolf life. "I've dealt with Morgrim before, and this time he's stuck in a cage."

The cheetah was quite small for her age and unusually light-colored. She was smaller than a normal wolf already, so her head only came up to about my chest. She was leading me through the trees to the field that branched off from the training grounds where they had decided to put Morgrim. We'd never taken a prisoner before him, so this was a completely new system, and about the only one I didn't quite yet fully know.

"I'm sorry about Aslan," she suddenly stopped to apologize. "I'm sure he must've had a good reason for sacrificing himself."

"If anything, Aslan surely knew what he was doing," I agreed strongly, though with a sad sigh. "Though I will never hope that it couldn't have been different."

Karise nodded before continuing on her way. We walked through the trees just a few more yards before ducking under a natural entryway into a field where a lone metal cage sat containing the gray wolf. There was a centaur on one side and a griffin on the other, guarding him.

I quickly dismissed them. Karise looked at me once more before she followed them back into the trees.

"I wondered when you were going to get around to me," Morgrim sneered through the bars. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about finding out the truth."

"Shut up," I growled at him. "I can easily rip you apart, still." Temporarily subdued, Morgrim sat still in his cage, waiting for me to ask the first question.

"I want to know about my mother," I demanded. "Who killed her?" For a moment a look of sadness flashed in his eyes, but it was almost to fast for met to be sure it was there.

"I don't know," Morgrim answered, using a much softer tone than he had before, though it was still defendant. "But I can tell you that it was not me. I have often asked the same question before, too. I would never do something like that, Miko." I recoiled the slightest bit in shock. I had never heard him call me by my name before. The same look of sadness returned to his eyes, and this time it stayed.

"I loved your mother."

"What?" I asked in shock. It came out almost a whisper. "No, you must be lying!"

"I swear on Aslan's mane," Morgrim promised, "I tell the truth. I was once part of your mother's pack with your father and uncle. After you were born, your father left to join the Witch. He never really loved you and your mother like I did, and I helped take care of you. One day we were attacked by some of her followers and I was captured to work under her. Your Uncle escaped, too, but everyone else was killed. I can't tell you anything after that, but I was forced to work for the White Witch. I couldn't let her know how much you really meant to me. I'm sorry for the times I hurt you, Miko. Truly, I am." He glanced at my bandaged leg as he said this.

I stood speechless at his story. I could tell he wasn't lying. It wasn't just that he made an unbreakable swear. I could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice- the truth behind his words was undeniable. I couldn't believe what had just happened. My mortal enemy had just become one of my greatest allies.

"Your mother once told me that she always thought of me as your father more than that traitor whose blood you share," Morgrim said. "But there's so much I don't know about you."

"There's too much to say now," I said, shaking my head, still greatly in awe. "But will you help us defeat her?"

"Gladly," Morgrim agreed. "I would have no greater pleasure in this life aside from seeing you once more."

I took the metal lock between my teeth and ripped it from the door of the cage. The thing landed in a mangled piece on the ground as I tore chain off with my claws. Morgrim shoved the door open with his paw and hastily came into the open for the first time since he was captured, stretching as he did.

"I've got to tell Ferrid!" I shouted in excitement. "Come on!" I raced back through the trees, Morgrim at my tail.

There were various protests from the Narnians at the appearance of Morgrim in camp. But none stopped to question us, since he was with me. I saw my brother talking with Peter and Orious .

"Ferrid!" I shouted, running up to him. He turned to look at me as I stopped next to them, Morgrim behind me. "You'll never believe this!"

"Miko!" Ferrid snarled, morphing as he jumped past me onto Morgrim. He pinned the gray wolf to the ground. "You stay away from my sister!"

"Ferrid, wait!" Miko shouted. "Don't hurt him!" Her brother turned to her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "Have you gone crazy?"

"I'm here to help boy," Morgrim barked. "You wouldn't want to go killing an ally, would you?"

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. "You tried to kill me!" He had his sword drawn and was pointing it at the gray wolf.

"Everyone, _please_!" I shouted. "Just shut up and listen to me!"

It took awhile to get things settled, but eventually Morgrim told them what he had told me, apologizing a lot for what he'd done under the White Witch's rule. Eventually the understanding was come to that he was now on our side, though Peter still kept him under close watch. After everything was sorted out he left to go explore the camp and try to catch up on what was going on.

"So, you've found out more about your father after all," Peter said.

"Yeah, but I've still got diddly squat on what happened to my mother," I retorted.

"At least you're getting anywhere at all," Ferrid pointed out.

"What we're not getting anywhere on are the battle plans," I changed the subject back to what was really important.

"Right," Peter agreed. "I want you two right on the front lines. Aslan confided in you enough about this battle, Miko, and I trust his choice in an advisor."

By the time we knew the basics of the battle plan, the sun had begun to rise. Ferrid and Orious had gone off to direct some of the other Narnians and make sure things were going smoothly. I was starting to worry if Susan and Lucy would make it back in time. I was sure we could do without them, and it would be better if I didn't have to worry about them as well, but Susan was an amazing archer and Lucy's cordial would come in handy in the end. I was beginning to regret sending them off.

"What will you be bringing to the battle?" Peter asked, trying to make conversation.

"Besides myself, it'll just be my sword," I answered. He looked surprised at this.

"No armor?" he questioned. I shook my head.

"It would just slow me down," I explained. "I'll be spending most of the time as a wolf anyway, and if I ever get into a swordfight I would never be able to maneuver with a load of heavy metal on me." I yawned after completing my sentence.

"You won't be able to fight at all as tired as you are," Peter laughed.

"No, I'm fine, really!" I protested, yawning again.

Then suddenly, he had scooped me up into his arms.

"I don't think so!"

"Peter!" I shouted laughing. I was too tired to fight back and just leaned against his chest.

"I can walk back," I mumbled, eyes half-closed.

"You're not _that _heavy," Peter joked. I lightly pretended to hit him, yawning again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my tent at the edge of the camp, but before we even got inside I was asleep.

I bolted awake at the sound of clanking in the room, grabbing my sword. Before I could unsheathe it, I realized who it was. Peter was standing there in the center of the room, clad in armor from head to toe.

"Miko, it's time."

**Yes, I made Morgrim the good guy here. Because I always liked him in the movie and was sad that he died. (Yes, shocker, I know. Haha, Morgrim haters.) R&R or I SWEAR, NO MORE CHAPPIES FOR YOU! EVER. Man, I got NOTHING the last two chapters! ZERO, ZIP, NADA! . Now that that's outta the way, prepare for the battle next time! :) **


	9. The Battle

**A/N It's here! The moment you've all been waiting for! Hopefully this will make up for the suckish short chapter last time. Sorry it's been awhile, but my internet wasn't working for awhile and in all honesty I forgot about this story for awhile now! Ah, back to school... Expect slower updates from now on. **

**Chapter 9: **

**The Battle **

We stood on a hill in the front of our army. Peter was on a unicorn at my left, and Ferrid stood to my right, a little ways back. Orious stood ready on Peter's left.

A griffin flew above our heads- the scout Peter had sent out just minutes prior. He was coming back to tell us how bad the odds were.

"This is it, then," I voiced what we were all thinking to no one in particular.

The griffin landed in front of Ferrid.

"They come, your majesty!" He announced, breathless. "In numbers and weapons far greater than our own!"

"Numbers do not win a battle," Orious stated boldly.

"No, but I bet they help," Peter said nervously. I looked up at him with worry. I could tell he was doubting the odds that we had could win. My heart was pounding in my chest. This was it- the face-off that was to be my destiny. I was already nervous enough without Peter's doubts.

I felt Ferrid's nose press into my side, which was an instant source of comfort. I took a deep breath.

"You have nothing to worry about," he assured me. "We'll be fine. But please be careful, Miko."

"Yes, I will," I agreed.

Somewhere among our army were the people I loved- my only remaining family besides Ferrid- Orion and Juliana and now Morgrim as well. Not to mention all my friends, like Karise. I had to fight for them now. No matter what, they would not die while I was still around.

The White Witch's Minotaur general came into our view first, letting out a roar to hail the arrival of his leader. There was a moment of pause before they followed him- all sorts of creatures. Giants and dwarves, plus the tigers and various other unpleasant creatures like hags and werewolves.

The White Witch herself was leading the fray in a chariot pulled by two polar bears. She halted at the top of the hill, her army following her example.

"Whenever you are ready," I looked up at Peter. He looked down into my eyes for a long moment before looking back. I followed his gaze back to Edmund on top of the cliff with the archers, who nodded. Peter turned back to the Witch's army, a new spark in his eyes. He raised his sword, the Narnians behind him also raising their weapons and cheering. Ferrid and I let out a challenging howl as the opposing army rushed forward past their Queen.

Our ground forces stayed put as Peter pointed his sword forward and a great amount of Griffins flew over the ridge and spread around the skies over the battlefield. The one in front of Ferrid took off as well as I heard the rest of my family take up the war song. And there was one more voice that I heard. It was familiar to me, but seemed as if from a distant memory. Then Peter's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Are you with me?" he asked Orious, before turning to Ferrid and I. I ceased my howl to nod.

"To the death," Orious responded. Peter nodded before raising his sword once more.

"For Narnia!" He shouted. "And for Aslan!"

The four of us rushed forward first, the rest of the army letting out a cry and following close behind. I pulled ahead of everyone, though the cheetahs quickly caught up. Karise came to my side. Our eyes locked and we both nodded before she leapt forward into the fray.

I quickly followed, leaping to come face to face with a tiger, whom I quickly dispatched. I heard the clang of metal behind me as the others fought with their lives and I tackled a Minotaur, ripping it to shreds quickly with my claws.

Up above there was a screech as a Phoenix flew overhead, bursting into flame in midair before landing and creating a line of fire just behind me. I turned around just as the White Witch burst through the line a ways away, in front of Peter.

"Fall back!" I heard him shout as a horn sounded. I took one glance back at the White Witch before following Peter. A flurry of arrows from our side sailed over our heads. The Witch's army had the same idea, and one landed into a faun that was struck behind us. Then, suddenly, Peter's unicorn was hit and he went tumbling to the ground, helmet flying off in the process.

"Peter!" I screamed.

The White Witch was coming our way, preparing to finish him off. I faced her growling as he struggled to his feet behind me.

"No!"

I turned to see who he was shouting at as Orious and a Rhinoceros charged forward bravely, straight at the Witch. I watched on in stunned horror as the gray animal threw aside some of her army before being taken down himself. The centaur jumped over its still form before quickly taking out the minotaur general after stabbing him twice in the back.

I followed quickly after him as he jumped at the Witch, drawing a third sword from its sheath.

"Miko!" I barley heard Peter's cry, wanting with all my heart to save the brave Centaur who had so boldly fought alongside us. She ducked his first swing at her head and he jumped around to the other side.

He suddenly froze into a statue before falling over to reveal the Witch's sword pointing in my direction. I growled before I morphed back into a human, drawing my own sword and quickly slashing apart a minotaur who dared challenge me as he passed. I looked back to see a stone griffin flying through the air just to crash against some rocks. I shielded my face with nothing but my arm, earning me a large gash there.

The Witch was still a ways off and slowly approaching Peter, who was struggling with a Minotaur and Cyclops. I picked up speed, swinging my sword at her as I went, letting out a cry. She turned towards me, blocking my attack.

I swung at her head in a rage, and she instantly dodged with much ease. She brought her scepter towards me, and I quickly pulled my sword in front of it, barley blocking the blow. The force of the attack pushed me back, sending my sword flying out of my hand. I rushed for it.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched Edmund jump from a ledge behind the White Witch and swing his sword straight at the scepter at her side. There was a loud crack as it broke, a blue light flashing from it. She quickly retaliated as I found my sword and grabbed a hold of it, running back towards her.

The White Witch flashed her sword towards Edmund and there was a crash of metal against metal as it was knocked out of his hand. Then she stabbed the broken end of her scepter into Edmund's stomach.

"EDMUND!" Peter and I shouted at the same time. I ran forward now, my head clearing with the complete force of my anger. I saw Peter coming at her as well from the other direction, but I was faster. I got there first, swinging my sword at her. She blocked it quickly with both her weapons, and I freed it quickly, thrusting it forward once again only for her to block it with the broken scepter and slash at me with her sword. I ducked to dodge it, giving her a chance to catch me off guard, which she quickly took. I managed to keep the scepter from stabbing me, but I was knocked to the ground as my sword flew above my head and got stuck in the dirt far behind me.

Peter jumped in then, defending the next swing at my life as I morphed into a wolf. A moment later, I returned the favor by jumping in front of the Witch's sword as she stabbed at him while he blocked her scepter, earning my a sword cut on my side. It wasn't very deep, but began bleeding right away. Peter pushed off the White Witch and ran to my side.

"Miko, are you alright?" He panted.

"Fine for now," I answered. "Thanks." The White Witch came towards us, brandishing her weapons at both of us. "Ready?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" he asked in response. Suddenly a mighty roar split the air from atop a cliff. The three of us turned to see its source. I realized who it was before I even saw the mighty lion standing above us.

"Aslan!" I shouted in glee. The White Witch wore an expression of horror and amazement.

"Impossible," she whispered.

Behind him came a whole army's worth of allies. In the front of them I saw Susan and Lucy, plus a face I'd always hoped, but never thought I'd see again.

"Tumnus," I whispered. Then, suddenly, the White Witch turned back to us, hitting her sword against Peter's shoulder. He swung his weapon against hers. They clashed a few times as I waited for an opening. Then, as Peter's shield blocked her next swing, she tripped him, sending him sprawled on his back to the ground. Before I could react, she stabbed her sword into his shoulder beneath his armor, causing him to let out a cry of pain. I growled as I leaped at her. Suddenly I felt her scepter digging into my left shoulder. I landed beside Peter.

"Well, this is it," I said weakly as the scepter was wrenched from my flesh. I took a sharp breath. The White Witch swung her other sword around in a circle, preparing to kill me. Then, suddenly Aslan jumped above our heads, tackling the White Witch, sending her flying through the air before landing a little ways off. Peter pulled the sword out of his shoulder before coming over to me. I morphed back into a human as he helped me up. We turned to the great lion who snarled once at the Witch- the last sound she would ever hear.

He turned towards us as the cries of the army sounded victory calls around us, finishing or chasing the last of the Witch's army off.

"It is finished."

"Peter!"

"Miko!"

We turned slowly around to see Susan and Lucy running down the hill towards us. Susan gently hugged her brother while Lucy came running at me, nearly knocking me off balance. I couldn't help but smile at her as Peter kept me on my feet, despite how much her embrace hurt.

"Lucy," I said. She quickly pulled away.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She apologized.

"Where's Edmund?" Susan suddenly asked. My smile quickly faded.

"This way!" I commanded, remembering where I'd last seen him stabbed by the Witch. I led them as fast as I could go, my wounds burning as I went, around a clump of rocks and down a hill.

"Edmund!" Lucy shouted, seeing a dwarf above him, wielding an axe that was about to end his life. Suddenly, a red-feathered arrow shot past my head, hitting him square in the chest. The dwarf flopped over as the other three ran ahead to their brother and I limped behind.

Susan had unstrapped his helmet by the time I got there and he was breathing hard. Lucy leaned above him, the cordial in her hand. As I sat down on his other side, a drop of the liquid inside fell into his mouth and his breathing stopped. A tear fell from Susan's eye and I leaned against Peter, who gently put his arm around me.

Then the boy on the ground coughed and his eyes fluttered open. We all smiled and Peter scooped his brother up into a hug instantly.

"When are you going to learn to do as you're told?" Peter laughed as the two girls joined in the hug. I laughed at the family's reunion. I heard the footfalls on the grass behind us, and turned to look at the great lion who had come. He smiled at me before breathing on a nearby statue, which then unfroze.

Lucy picked up the cordial off the ground and rushed over to me. I wasn't going to deny it this time. I let her put a drop of the sweet liquid into my mouth, feeling it take effect as my breathing slowed and the pain disappeared. I smiled up at her, and she returned the gesture with glee before running off to help the others severely wounded in the battle.

"Miko!"

We turned to the top of the hill where Ferrid was running towards us. I got to my feet quickly, running to meet my brother as he wrapped me up tight in a hug.

"Thank Aslan you're alright!" he cried. "I saw her stab you."

"I'm fine," I laughed, pulling away from his embrace. "And you really should, he saved my life." Ferrid turned towards the great lion, kneeling in respect.

"Thank you," he said. The golden figure laughed, shaking his mane, and letting out a triumphant roar. I ran back down the hill, hugging Susan and Peter, as well.

This was one more day in my life that I would live to celebrate forever.

"Miko!" I turned towards the familiar voice that I hadn't heard in so long. Tumnus trotted down the hill followed by another shape that I didn't pay any attention to. "It's been so long!" I hugged the faun as tightly as I could.

"Tumnus, you're alright!" I shouted. "I thought you were gone for good! I've missed you so much!"

"Hey, what about me?" I gasped at the voice. The howl that I'd heard and had recognized from a distant memory... I pulled away from the fawn and looked up at the boy standing on top of the cliff. He had a messy head of dirty blond hair and was smiling a goofy smile that I hadn't seen in three years.

"B-but... Cade?" I spluttered. "Y-You're supposed to be dead!"

**A/N YAYAYAYAY CHAPTER 9! (Sorry, I'm now in love with that movie.) More plot twists and cliffhangers! And for the love of Aslan somebody send me a review! .**


	10. Reunion and Appointment

**A/N Whoa... whoa, woah woah...WOAH...! Yes, I didn't die and leave you all stranded! Don't feel like you're the only ones though, guys, I've pretty much been disappeared from all my sites... here, dA, my various RPs... this whole time that I've left you! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Well, this one's shorter, but I hope you enjoy. By the way, for anyone who's recently discovered this, I apologize for the first few chapters. I didn't really know what I was doing until about halfway through the so far story.**

**AW GOSH DANGIT! I left at like the most suspeseful chapter end so far! .**

**Disclaimer: See previous chappies because I'm lazy...**

**Chapter 10: Reunion and Appointment **

I stood gaping at the figure in front of me- the boy I had once loved and had never expected to see again.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" he laughed, coming down the hill towards me. He had his arms spread wide, coming to hug me. I pushed him away, backing up quickly.

"No!" I shouted. "No you can't be!"

"Miko, it's really him, he's here," Ferrid tried convincing me. I refused to believe it. He had been my best friend, and then he'd been gone- just like that.

"I saw you get hit with an arrow... and then you died."

"Oh, yeah..." Cade flinched away from my words. "That left a mark." He turned around and pulled up his tunic. In the middle of his back, right where I remembered it, was a scar where the arrow had dug into his skin. I rushed up and hugged him.

"It really is you!" I shouted, still not quite believing that my best friend was alive again. "If this is a dream, none of you wake me up from it!" I growled fiercely. I heard the humans laugh from on the ground.

"Now, come," Aslan instructed. "We have many things to do. Miko, you wish to be crowed, do you not?" I nodded seriously. "Then we must be on our way back."

* * *

"Miko?"

"Come on in," I answered the voice of Susan. Lucy came bounding through the entrance of the tent, the morning light shining on her dress. Susan came more slowly in after her.

"You're up early," I noted, chuckling.

"How could you even think of sleeping on a day like this?" Lucy asked with excitement. I put my sword back into its sheath, smiling. The weapon was one of my most prized possessions and I had been happy to see that it had survived the battle with the White Witch yesterday.

"I don't see what's worth getting up early for," I shrugged.

"Are you kidding?" Susan asked. "You're being crowned a princess! Don't tell me _that _isn't something to be excited over!"

"You're being crowned a queen," I pointed out. The two girls laughed.

"What are you wearing?" Lucy asked. "Oh please let me see it!"

"Would you let me have the honor of doing your hair?" Susan begged. "I'm just thinking of so many things right now..."

"All right! All right!" I gave in. "Let me go change first before you do it so I don't mess it up. Can I at least do that?" Lucy and Susan laughed.

"Oh, you're going to look so pretty!" The younger girl shouted in glee.

Yesterday had been a pretty good day for me. First I'd saved Narnia, then my best friend had come back from the dead. And today was probably going to be just as good, if not better, so I wouldn't even complain about having to wear a dress.

Aslan stood in front of the four thrones, while the Narnians watched on in excitement. Peter and Edmund stood on his right and Susan and Lucy stood on his left. Peter and Susan were dressed in blue and gold while Edmund and Lucy were decorated in blue and silver. They all smiled at the crowd as I watched through the slightly open door.

"To the glistening eastern sea, I give you Queen Lucy, the Valiant," Aslan announced. The beavers approached the thrones carrying the crowns on pillows. Tumnus picked one off and placed it on Lucy's head- a silver circlet. Edmund was appointed crown in the same color. Then Susan and finally Peter were crowned with gold.

"Long live King Peter! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Susan! Long live Queen Lucy!"

I whispered along with the crowd as they cheered for their new places of royalty.

"And now we must crown the Ice Princess of Narnia, who has truly earned this right long ago."

I smiled as I pushed open the doors, walking just as the others had down the aisle. My family was sitting in the front row with Cade. He gave me a thumbs-up as I passed, and I rolled my eyes at him. I was both excited and nervous as I stood between Peter and Susan, waiting for Aslan to say the words that would recognize me as a princess.

"I give you Princess Miko, the Brave."

Tumnus set my crown on my head, smiling at me as a tear ran down his cheek. I smiled back at him.

"Long live Princess Miko!" I laughed as the crowd cheered me on.

"Long live Princess Miko," Peter repeated from behind me. I turned and gave him a smile as I became a real Princess of Narnia.

* * *

I watched Tumnus console Lucy about Aslan's disappearing out on the balcony, taking a sip of blackberry juice from the special cup I was holding.

Tumnus flashed me a smile as he passed, coming back inside with Lucy. I smiled back, understanding her feelings. As soon as they were gone, I walked with appearing calm out onto the balcony where they'd been. I set my glass down on the edge and looked over. I could just see the great lion's golden figure disappearing into the sunset. He looked back at me and I smiled. Then, just like that, he was gone again. How long it'd be until I saw him again, only he knew.

I heard Peter coming out before I saw him. He leaned on the railing next to me, looking over my shoulder.

"What exactly are we looking at?" he asked after awhile.

"Aslan's gone off again," I laughed, turning to face him. I picked up my glass and took another sip.

"How long do you think he'll be?" Peter asked. "And how in the world can you drink that stuff?" I laughed.

"You get used to it after awhile," I said. Then my smile vanished and I turned back to face the beach. "For all we know, it could be forever."

"It won't be," Peter assured me. "I'm positive of that."

"Yeah, I know," I agreed. "But until then- and even after that- you're in charge. How does it feel being king?"

"Odd," Peter answered. "It'll take awhile to get used to. I could ask you the same thing." He shook his head. "I never thought I'd see _you_ in a dress." I hit him lightly, chuckling.

"To me it doesn't feel any different," I said as he rubbed his arm. With one quick motion, I froze the glass in my hands and then thawed it out again. "It doesn't affect my ability to do that. I've always been able to do it and that's never going to change or anything, despite what my title may be."

"I've never really thought about it that way before," Peter said, obviously impressed. I shrugged, looking up at the sky.

"You've just never seen my world." There was a long thoughtful moment of silence. I stared up at the first star that had appeared in the sky.

"Then show me," Peter finally whispered, breaking the silence. I looked over at him curiously. He turned to face me and I smiled slightly.

"One day, that would be nice."

**A/N Sorry if it's not the best or longest this time around. I'm gonna have to be typing like crazy to make up for it now. The problem is moving into the after-story stuff... I know what I'm doing but I don't know how to get there kinda thing. Anyone who's written something like this before knows what I'm talking about, I'm sure. **

**Plus now I gotta hunt down the notes I've written... :S**

**Well, for now... !Hasta luego y disfrutar del capitulo!**


	11. The Beginning of the End

**A/N: Here we go, four days late... -.-; Sorry guys. I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. Expect the next chapter to be late too. I won't be here Saturday, though I'll try to respond to any comments you may leave via my mother's phone. Before you ask, the title _is _a little misleading. By the beginning of the end, I'm referring to this chapter being the start of the 'after-story' and I couldn't come up with any better name, ok?**

**Disclaimer: C.S Lewis owns Narnia, I own all my OC's, you get the point.**

**Chapter 11: The Beginning of the End**

_**~Two weeks later~**_

I sat by the fire while the others slept, watching it closely as if waiting for it to say something, which of course it wouldn't. I wasn't the biggest fan of fires and sat a good distance away from it.

Suddenly, I heard noises from inside the forest and tensed, swiftly grabbing the dagger that was lying at my feet. A figure emerged from the trees.

"Here we are, Ice Princess, wood for tomorrow," Cade said.

I relaxed as he set it a little ways off from the fire before coming to sit next to me.

They'd all started calling me that shortly after the coronation. I didn't mind, though at first it was kind of odd. I preferred my name, but it wasn't a big deal. No one treated me any different, or anything. Ferrid still pushed me in whenever we stopped at a stream, and Susan and Lucy still played with my hair whenever we got a break.

"I didn't think you were actually coming back," I said, rolling my eyes. "We're in a forest, how long does it exactly take to find _wood_?"

"Alright, I got a little sidetracked, ok?" Cade admitted. "A bit farther in through the trees, there's this beautiful stream. It reflected off the sky exactly, like liquid starlight. When I saw it I thought of you."

"You're always so good at describing things," I smiled, imaging it just as I was sure that it was. It took me a moment to register his last sentence. When I finally did, I was stopping mid-yawn. I whipped my head around to look back at him.

"Wait, what was that?" I questioned.

"I thought of you," Cade said. I felt my heart rate quicken.

"Wha-... why?"

"It just reminded me of how we used to sneak down to the stream at night and play in the water even when it was cold," Cade began. "And how you would do the most amazing things to the water without even making a big deal out of it. Then you'd babble on and on about something or other and I'd just watch you freeze the water then thaw it out in amazement. And all the times you pushed me in..."

"Yeah," I said, smiling in remembrance. "Remember that one time I accidentally froze you under the water? Then Orion had to carry you back to camp and start a fire to warm you back up. We thought you we're going to get sick for sure. But nope, you were perfectly fine by the next morning." I laughed.

There were a few seconds of peaceful silence as I finished retelling the story, letting the memory replay itself in my mind.

"Miko..."

I looked over at Cade, the firelight reflecting on his face, which was now tense in thought.

"Yeah?"

"Are... you still in love with me?"

The question took me by surprise. I sat there for a moment, staring at him with a blank expression on my face.

When we were younger, before I'd had to worry about death... I had been in love with Cade then, hadn't I? Yeah. I remembered the times I'd always thought of us being together, for real, after the war. Once we could leave, I thought, we'd start a pack, just the two of us. I don't even remember when I'd started to feel that way.

"Miko?"

I blinked, looking away into the fire, my head resting in my hands. I didn't know what Cade was expecting me to say, but I hoped he'd be okay with my answer either way.

"No," I said softly, expression unchanging.

I'd come to my senses about him before now, before he'd died, even... Cade was like my annoying little brother, even though he was about a year older than me. I loved him, but not like I thought I used to.

"I see," Cade said thoughtfully.

"What, are you disappointed or something?" I asked teasingly. Normally he would shoot something back, but this time was different.

"I just couldn't help but wonder," he responded. "I think it's better this way."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. We sat there for a moment watching the fire. I sighed softly. It was all to easy to have a serious conversation with him now.

"So, does that mean there's someone else, then?" Cade teased.

"What?" I cried, face flushing. "No!" An image of Peter flashed in my mind, though I shook it off. Cade fell back laughing.

"Alright, you tard muffin, I'm going to sleep," I said, standing up. Cade's chuckles died down as I walked around the fire and to my blanket.

I laid down facing the stars and was asleep within minutes

* * *

I was running through the woods, feeling like flying as I always did as a wolf. I wished I could grow wings and just run above the ground forever. But sadly, my abilities didn't go that far.

Suddenly, I slowed down for some reason, feeling tension in the air. I looked to the sky. It was pure black, without a star or sun in sight. Last I had know, however, it had been day...

I saw a small black wolf in front of me. I recognized him somehow, yet he was different than he should have been, though I didn't know why I knew that.

I began running again, towards him this time, wondering what he was doing out here all alone. My pace was quickened and more heavy than it had been previously. All the joy of running was gone for me, I was in a panic for some unknown reason.

I had almost made it to the little black pup when suddenly a huge shadow came out of nowhere. I stopped in my tracks, letting out a cry of fear as the darkness overwhelmed the pup, swallowing him into its depths.

* * *

I woke in fright, my heart pounding. Instantly, my head snapped to the sky. I was relieved to see that there was light shining from the sun right into my eyes. I looked away, blinking. So it had just been a dream? But it had seemed so real...

"Hey, Miko, are you ok?" Edmund asked, standing above me. I stood up, running my hand through my hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. "I had a dream, that was all. I don't remember it that well."

"Well, it was just a dream," Edmund assured me, smiling. "Glad to see you're finally up!"

"How long did I sleep?" I asked, now wide awake from my dream.

"Oh, not too long," Ed answered. "We were just about to go hunting for lunch. We have about an hour until we should probably eat."

I looked around to see every one else moving about. Karise was standing by, trying to help guide the other three Pevensies. Cade was trying to show Lucy how to set up a place to put your food over the fire. The small girl was really getting the hang of it while her older sister was still fumbling around with a small animal trap. Peter was trying to help her, but not having much luck either. I smiled at their awkwardness.

"Alright then, I supposed I'd better start helping as well," I said.

I walked past our sleeping area to them. Cade noticed me first, then Lucy.

"Miko!" she called, waving me over. Susan, Peter, and Karise turned around.

"Hey, good morning," Peter greeted. "A little late there, don't you think?"

"I thought you'd _never _wake up!" Karise meowed.

"Better late than never," I said, responding to both of them.

They went back to work as I approached Cade and Lucy.

"Hey, why don't you go take Karise down to that stream you found?" I suggested. "Give her something to do since she doesn't – oh, you know... have _hands_?"

"I've got this," Lucy said, smiling. "You go ahead."

Cade smiled in wonder at the small girl's skill before walking off to get Karise without another word.

I wandered absentmindedly over to Susan and Peter, who were starting to get the hang of things a little more. I was wondering how much longer it would take to get to Juliana and Orion. It couldn't be that much more time, could it? Either way, I would be eternally grateful for them coming with me on this trip. I'd always had a hard time with feelings. I could never express how much their help really meant to me.

* * *

"_Miko, where are you planning to go this time?" Ferrid asked as he watched me fill my belt with various items. _

"_How do you know I'm planning to go anywhere?" I asked. _

"_Because you're my sister..." he replied, rolling his eyes. "And you're you." _

_I shrugged. "Fine, if you really want to know, I'm going to see Juliana." _

"_Miko..."_

"_To try to find my mother," I added more softly, stopping my preparations. I stayed silent for a moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ferrid's gaze soften. _

"_Alright then," he said without question. I turned to him in surprise. _

"_You're really just letting me go?" I asked. _

"_Of course," Ferrid answered. "Why wouldn't I?... As long as you let me come too." _

_I blinked in surprise. My brother was really offering to help me on one of my crazy, impossible schemes? I tried to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but then I remembered how much it had hurt when I'd hit my head on that branch earlier this morning. No, I was awake. _

"_Are you sure about that?" I asked. "You know my mother's supposed to be dead." _

"_Miko, I would trust you over anyone any day..." Ferrid said tenderly, chuckling. "Except maybe Aslan. I believe you more than what supposedly happened. You know things like this. It's just a part of you." _

_He wasn't wrong. I could feel the life force of my enemies slip away as they fell. That's why I was never worried they'd get back up again, when I could know for a fact that they wouldn't. But I never really knew my mother. Did it still apply then?_

_But Ferrid trusted me, maybe even more than I trusted myself. And I knew I could count on him any day. _

"_Alright then," I agreed, smiling. "You're coming, too." _

* * *

"_Wait, where exactly are you going?" Peter questioned. _

_I had called the kings and queens together to tell them that I would be leaving. We sat together near the fireplace, around a table. Ferrid stood next to me in my chair. _

"_First I'm off to see my aunt," I explained. "It'll be nice to pay a little visit for awhile, but I also want to see if she can offer anymore insight into what exactly happened to my mother. I don't know the full story, which seems to be the case in a lot of my life." _

_Peter didn't respond. After a moment, he looked at Susan. They seemed to be discussing my decision without words. Edmund and Lucy looked over to them. Ed nodded and Lucy smiled. _

"_Alright then, we're coming with you," Peter said, standing up. _

"_What?" I questioned in surprise, the same reaction that I'd had when my brother had wanted to come. "Really?" _

"_Why not?" Susan said. "It'll be a good way to get to know our way around a little, and besides, we want to help you out." _

"_It'll be a lot of fun!" Lucy agreed. "Oh, I want to meet your family!" _

_Ed just shrugged. "Hey, what they all said." _

_I smiled at all of them, really unable to express in words the gratitude that I felt. _

"_Thank you so much," I said. "All of you, really. This means so much to me." _

"_Hey, it's no problem," Peter said, smiling at me. "We're all in this together now, no matter what happens." _

* * *

Of course I'd gone to Karise and Cade first. I wasn't stupid enough to travel completely alone, and I knew they'd both agree. They were the more adventurous, rule-breaking types like me. If you didn't know any better, you'd think they were raised in the same family. They'd always been as close as siblings.

But with everyone here now, I had an even better chance of discovering where my mother was, or at least what had happened to her.

"Have you seen Ferrid?" I asked them, sitting down and taking the trap gently from them.

"He just went out to scout out the area," Susan explained, watching me in wonder.

"He told us to make sure you stayed here after you woke up," Peter mused. I smiled. "He should probably be back soon, though. It's been about an hour."

I handed the trap back to Susan. "Do you think you could put some food in that so we can take it out to the forest?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," Susan said.

I sat next to Peter in silence, staring off into space. I was thinking about what Cade had said last night. Everything he might have figured out that I didn't even know about myself...

"Miko..." I looked over at Peter curiously.

"Yeah?" I questioned.

"Miko!" I stood up as Ferrid ran into our clearing. He morphed into a human as he neared me.

"What is it?" I asked in alarm before noticing that he was grinning from ear to ear.

"I found them!"

**A/N So you get the idea of what they're doing now. Not much more to say... OH, but thank you all for the reviews! I got a couple after the last chapter, and I even forgot to ask nicely (or maybe not-so-nicely ^^;)! Thanks a lot guys, I hope to get some more this time around, too. Keep reading and hope you enjoy what I have in store for these guys. **


	12. Heaven on Earth

**A/N Alright, here we go. Sorry it's been a week. I might skip one here and there if I can't find time to get the chapters finished. Sorry, this chapter's relatively calm, but I promise it won't stay that way much longer! I finished this at 12:06 this morning, so let me know if there's anything that's off... inconsistencies and whatnots...**

**Disclaimer: I own my characters, C.S. Lewis owns his! Deal with it!**

**Chapter 12 : Heaven on Earth**

I stood there for a moment, looking at him. I didn't even realize I was blinking in surprise. When I did, I immediately stopped.

"Are we really that close already?" I wondered aloud. The last time we'd traveled to see my aunt, we'd gone for miles. I remembered passing so many difficult places. They lived much farther away.

"Juliana will explain everything when we get there," Ferrid assured me, dulling the roar of confusion in my mind. "I told her we were going to eat before setting off again."

"That's the best thing to do," I agreed, nodding. I was starting to recover from my initial surprise.

Just as I finished speaking, Cade returned with Karise and a burlap bag of fish.

"Ferrid, you're back!" He said, bringing their catch over to my brother. Cade had always been fond of him. Even when we were little, he'd been Ferrid's biggest fan.

"Perfect timing, Cade," Ferrid smiled. "You've got quite the catch there."

"Hey thanks!" Cade said, proud at being congratulated. He was like a little kid.

"Half of that's my catch," Karise growled quietly, standing beside me.

"Just let him have this," I whispered, smiling. I scratched her behind the ears, making the big cat purr.

The boys and I started cutting up the fish, save for Edmund. He was starting the fire, while Susan and Lucy were off at the stream with Karise getting some water so we could wash up.

It didn't take very long to cut the catch into strips, though it felt like longer with Cade complaining that he wanted to eat it how it was. It helped that we didn't ready them all for cooking as we decided to take some to Juliana.

The girls came back from the stream just as we were finishing up. The fronts of their shirts were wet and they had a dripping Karise in tow. I raised an eyebrow at the trio.

"What'd you guys get up to?" Cade asked, noticing them as well. Ed looked up from the fire he'd had started about ten minutes ago, and Peter turned from drawing in the dirt with a stick. I paused my turning of the fish to laugh at them.

Karise growled and prodded closer to the fire to warm up. Lucy and Susan followed with the bucket of water.

"Looks like you guys had a little trouble there?" I grinned. The girls exchanged glances and burst out laughing. I shook my head, planning to ask Karise about this later.

"Er... Miko?" I heard Ed say, looking slightly panicked.

Suddenly the scent of smoke reached my nostrils and I whipped around to see the fish on my stick was on fire.

"Aw, nuts!" I cried, hurriedly making an attempt to put it out. My group began laughing at my charred fish. I finally got it out only to find it blackened, with only a piece near the end that wasn't completely blackened. I sighed.

The rest of the meal passed without any problems, save for the fact that Lucy and Susan were almost sick after watching Karise tear apart a raw fish.

We were cleaned up and ready to go before I even knew it. I stared at the pack on my back for a little while before Ed approached, rubbing my head between my ears.

"Ready to get going?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, liking the feeling.

I'd quickly taken to Edmund after he'd saved my life. Sometime shortly after my coronation I had made amends with him. I was amazed how forgiving he was. I had been completely wrong about him from the start. It had never been his fault that anything had happened to Tumnus or Aslan. If I wanted to yell at anyone, it would have to be fate, which I didn't think would be much use.

We were good friends now, and he seemed to understand me even more than the girls and sometimes even Peter. He really was a good kid, and I'd trust him with my life as much as I would Ferrid.

"Come on, you two!" Cade barked from over by the others, who'd gathered their horses from their place in the trees. They were all mounted and ready to go, with Cade and Ferrid standing at their feet. Cade looked annoyed and Ferrid amused. I grinned in the other two wolves' direction.

Ed and I walked over to them and hopped on his own horse. I joined Ferrid and Cade.

"You sure you're not carrying too much?" Ferrid asked, like a good older brother.

"Yup, I'm fine," I smiled.

"Here we go," Peter said, "lead us on, Ferrid."

My brother began running and I took off after him. I heard the horses begin to gallop behind us, as the three of us pulled ahead of them easily, though stayed within their view.

I ran ahead of Ferrid, not worrying about getting lost. I could sense where he was behind me, and I began to run as fast as I could, leaping or swerving around every obstacle that came my way. Soon I couldn't even hear them anymore, and I knew there was no way they could catch me. Ferrid was probably worrying a bit, but I didn't care at all.

I felt so free, my paws barley hitting the ground as I flew as fast- no, faster than the wind. I closed my eyes briefly, letting the sensation of the wind through my fur flood me. I didn't know how, but somehow I knew where to go. Suddenly, a noise pierced though my mind, and I leaped over a tree stump before skidding across the ground to come to a stop.

I looked in the direction of the trees where it had come from. I felt my gaze piercing into something, though there was nothing visible. Suddenly, there was a noise like a rabbit breaking through the bushes, running from a pursuer, but it was no rabbit. Whatever was running from me was much bigger. I rushed forward in pursuit, following my instincts to the top of a hill that faced into an even thicker part of the forest.

I growled in that direction, scanning the area. There was nothing there at all that could have made that much noise. Whatever it was had easily escaped me. I was annoyed beyond reason. I hadn't remembered anything ever getting away from me with such ease. When I decided to give pursuit, I rarely lost the game.

With a huff, I turned back around and plodded down the hill. All the fun taken out of my journey, I began to run again, my annoyance empowering me. My feet felt heavier as I went, now my only goal to reach my destination. Suddenly, I remembered my dream. I wondered if whatever had been watching me was connected somehow. A wave of cold dread made me visibly shudder as I ran. I didn't want to know what it meant, but I had to try to find out. Otherwise there'd be no way I could prevent whatever was going to happen.

I finally came to a break in the tree line. Ferrid was waiting for me there, as if he'd known just where I'd be, which he probably had.

"The others have gone ahead to Juliana," he explained. "We're just waiting for you now."

"Sorry," I apologized, trying to look unworried. My brother didn't bite.

"Are you ok?" Ferrid asked.

"I'm fine," I answered, without explanation. To my relief, he didn't press any further. He just turned and began leading the way through the trees.

It didn't take long to get there. After what felt like forever, I was relieved to get to settle down a little. Juliana, my uncle Orion, and my cousin Juno were the only three shapeshifters in the pack. My aunt and uncle were currently in their wolf forms, and they were talking to the kings and queens. I walked over to them, leaving Ferrid behind.

"Greetings Juliana, Orion," I said, approaching. The humans all turned around at the sound of my voice.

"Glad to see you finally made it," Ed laughed. I smiled.

"What took you?" Susan asked, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I got a little sidetracked," I answered calmly. "I'm fine now."

"Miko, it's good to see you again," Juliana said. I turned to her before the Pevensies could ask any more questions.

"Why are you so close to Cair Paravel?" I questioned. "You used to live beyond the mountains. What happened?"

Juliana angled her light brown head in the direction of the mountains, where Miko had remembered visiting them once before.

"Well, frankly we didn't want to be so far away from you. As far as family goes, I only have you and you us."

Her response made my eyes glisten. She knew I didn't have much time left here, and she wanted me to spend my last days near her. Also, this way she'd know when... I felt Peter's arm around my shoulders. It was a moment before I shrugged him off. He didn't argue, to my relief.

"I'm fine," I said quietly to Peter, managing a smile. He smiled back

"We moved before the war came," Orion explained.

"I was going to tell you when I came to visit, but you ran off before I could," Juliana said. I grinned, shuffling my feet sheepishly. My aunt laughed. "No, I understand, it's fine. But I left before I could tell you."

Suddenly a though struck me and I whipped to face Ferrid, who was now right behind me. "You knew about this!" I cried. A look of dumb fascination crossed my face, shrouding a smile. Ferrid chuckled at my reaction.

"You really didn't notice I was leading us _away_ from the best route to the mountains?" He questioned. I just stood there while my friends and family laughed quietly around me.

I had thought our path had been a little off, but I hadn't said anything. Ferrid knew the way around here better than I probably ever would.

"So the whole time, you were gradually leading us here?" Edmund asked. "That's pretty good."

Suddenly I realized something, and my head whipped around.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked. I knew Juliana, Orion, and my cousin weren't the only ones in their pack.

"Oh, this isn't our main camp," Orion responded. "Come this way."

We followed him quietly behind a couple more trees and stopped in front of an extremely large bush. It was almost as tall as myself, and grew all around, wrapping around the trees nearby. Looking closely, I noticed a gap in the bush, or rather bush clump, near it's bottom. Juliana pulled the surrounding foliage away from the small gap.

"We're going in _there_?" Susan squeaked.

"Oh, don't be a scaredy-cat!" Lucy said, rolling her eyes. I grinned down at the little girl, who was already halfway to the hole.

"Follow me," Orion instructed. "Watch your step as you enter, it's a long way down if you trip."

I soon figured out what he meant by that as I followed my uncle down a dirt trail that was trekked with the pack's paw prints. It was one of the most magical experiences I'd ever had, and trust me I've had a few encounters with the supernatural. The sun streamed through the surprising large tunnel. There was so much space because, while the ground dipped down, the leaves hiding it stayed pretty much at the same level.

I had to move around a branch or two on my way down. I heard Lucy's sharp intake of breath behind me several times while we were going down. Though the whole trip lasted maybe two minutes, it felt like an eternity. But that wasn't the end of my astoundment.

I saw the light at the end of the tunnel after my awestruck travel and emerged after Orion a second later. After taking two seconds to straighten up and stretch out a little, I finally noticed the heaven we'd emerged in.

I gasped as I saw the amazing clearing we'd landed in. There was a sparkling stream a good ways off. It was crystal clear, and I could see its every movement over smooth gray rocks. From up close I was sure it was even better.

Past that were trees taller than any I'd seen before in this part of the forest. The stretched to the sky above us, their tops reaching the tops of some of the trees on the edge of the cliff where we'd just been.

The clearing was perfectly lit, even though the cliff above hung over the clearing, keeping it from view above. I could still see the sun above as a hawk flew across it.

"Aslan, you sure did good with this place," I murmured as I glanced around at everything once more.

By that time, everyone else had come behind me and heard what I had said. I could hear them talking, mostly to themselves. I looked back to see they all had the same amazed expressions as me, even Ferrid. Lucy looked like seeing this was the best gift in the world, which it very well may have been.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Juliana said, breaking the spell.

"Do you even have to ask?" Peter said in a sort of daze.

"How did you ever find it?" I asked. We never saw this coming from above, which I figured is how they found it as well. It amazed me that they'd been so lucky.

"Actually, we discovered it by accident," Juliana said. "Miko, you remember Channing?"

"Of course," I responded, eager for them to get on with the story.

"Since you last saw us, we've made a couple additions to the pack. Medi is a she-wolf we found injured in the forest, and Channing's mate," Orion began. "You'll see her later, I'm sure. She's very excited to meet you. Anyway, they have a son, Faolan. He was the only one that survived in his litter, like Juno. Long story short, he fell through the bushes that we came through. The tunnel was pretty much already there, though we've modified it a little since. He slid all the way down here, and I chased after him. We thought this place would be perfect, so we decided to settle here."

"It's been wonderful for us," Juliana added.

"I'm glad you're settling in nicely..." Ferrid's voice trailed off in the back of my mind. "Miko?"

I heard my name but didn't respond. I was staring intently under a lone tree by the stream. The shadowy figure there pricked his ears at the sound of my name. He stood slowly and turned in our direction, stepping out of the shadows.

His hard yellow eyes met mine, and I gasped at the familiar face.

**A/N Who could it be? You'll have to find out, though it's no one you know, sorry. And, no, astoundment isn't a real word. But it should be. :P Vote in my new poll if you like my writings. :3**

**Anyway, this chapter I have something important to say. I recently finished the third Professor Layton game. Even if you don't know what that is, please listen two seconds, here. It made me realize that I want to give those games credit for the idea for this story. It all started after I watched a scene in the second game. It wasn't originally part of this story, but the idea I had for a character that could control ice and that scene helped this all come together. So, thank you Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box!**

**PS Don't worry, I'll point out that scene when it comes. And also, I wrote a PL fanfic after finishing the third game. It'll be up here later if anyone's interested. :) Warning: It's sad, I cried while writing it... **


	13. Mentor and Apprentice

**A/N After long break, I'm finally back on track with this story! I promised I wouldn't leave it alone! 3 Still... sorry guys. Thanks for all the great support and reviews so far! I'm starting to get into the hard stuff and have to use my imagination (gasp) so things sometimes move a bit slowly. I finally got past this sticky chapter though, thank Aslan. I hope it doesn't stink too bad. (Not counting the crappy title)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Narnia. :P**

**Chapter 13: Mentor and Apprentice**

I didn't notice what anyone around me was doing, though I thought I heard someone draw their sword. I was transfixed in the gaze of the scarred dark brown face I was looking at. His yellow eyes softened as he grinned.

"Sergei!" I shouted joyously, running forward to meet the experienced wolf. I morphed halfway to my mentor, coming to a halt just in front of him, though I was tempted to run straight into him. I knew he'd be able to take it, but he wouldn't be the happiest if I forgot all my training in an instant.

I still couldn't help myself from covering him with licks. Sergei laughed at my excitement. I knew he'd be stricter later, but for now I was just enjoying this moment of our reunion.

"Miko, it's great to see you," he said. "Good to see you've been keeping on your toes. Palace life shouldn't go making you soft anytime soon."

"No worries there," I barked. "I go for a run every day, and a lot of the times I hunt while I'm out. Ferrid and I always train with the kings and queens when they go, too."

"That's good," Sergei praised. "Keep it up. I see the war didn't get to you."

"No, sir," I said. "Were you there?"

"No, I didn't come with your aunt and uncle. They and Channing were the only ones who went. Medi and I stayed here with the kids. I'm getting older, Miko," Sergei sighed. "I'm not quite as strong as I was when you were my pupil."

"I still am your pupil," I murmured. Sergei turned his eyes on me, cocking his head. In his eyes I still saw the same spark of fire I had when I'd first asked him to be my mentor.

* * *

"_Are we there yet?" Miko moaned, trudging along beside her brother._

"_Almost," Ferrid comforted, smiling. "You were the one who wanted to go, remember?" _

_Miko sighed, hating that her brother was right, once again... She kept going in silence. _

_They had been going for days now, only stopping to eat and sleep. Ferrid was amazed that his younger sister could press on so long. She rarely complained, most of the time wanting to press on when even he had become exhausted. This was something she greatly wanted, to never stop going like she had been. _

_Ferrid couldn't have made a better sister himself. Her best friend had just been killed, and now she was here, still on her feet... still moving forward. There was nothing that could pull her back, she only looked on. To most of the Narnians, Miko was just a child, playful and troublesome, but Ferrid knew the truth. At heart... her courage put them all to shame._

"_It's here! It's here! Just over that hill!" Miko cried suddenly, pulling Ferrid out of his thoughts. _

"_Miko, hold on!" He shouted as his younger sister bounded off without him, towards the top of the hill in front of them. It was emerald green, the sun peering over it. But in the fading light, something made Ferrid stop. The land at the bottom of the hill curved around to the right, rising up in the top of a cliff. And standing there, outlined in the setting sun, was a magnificent dark brown wolf._

_Ferrid tensed, watching him look down upon them with fierce bright yellow eyes. Miko's tail stopped wagging as she followed his gaze up the cliff to the wolf staring at her brother. _

_Suddenly the wolf's head snapped away from them and he turned in the opposite direction, disappearing with one swift, strong, graceful motion._

_Ferrid relaxed only slightly, his mind still racing. He turned to Miko, who was staring at him, frozen in place a look of complete awe on her face that he had never seen before. He shook his head, walking to her._

"_Come on, Miko, we're almost there."_

_He walked over the hill, Miko taking a last glance back before bounding after him. _

"_I'm going to go hunting with Orion," Channing said. Miko blinked one eye open, glancing up, one gold ear twitching. Ferrid was laying next to her. They'd been resting since they arrived at her aunt's camp, though Miko hadn't really fallen asleep. A light gray wolf with soft brown eyes and a darker gray diamond on his muzzle was looking down at her brother. "I'll bring you two back something as well."_

"_That's alright," Miko said. The other two wolves looked down at her, not knowing before that she was awake. Miko hoisted herself up and calmly stretched her muscles a little, blue eyes shining in the darkness. _

"_Don't you ever get tired?" Channing asked, tones of annoyance, amazement, and humor in his voice all at the same time. _

"_Of course. I'm not Aslan or anything," Miko said, a smile in her eyes. "I just prefer to catch food for myself. And my brother, of course." She glanced down questioningly at Ferrid as she spoke._

"_I'm not letting you outdo me, even if we just traveled a hundred miles today," answered Ferrid, standing and shaking himself. "You're still younger than me, remember that, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes."_

_Miko knew how special she was compared to even her own family. She had been born for a reason, and she could do things no one else could. Sometimes Ferrid forgot that, but she never failed to remind him... those moments that she was stronger than he could ever be..._

"_I'll go tell Orion you two are going on your own, then," Channing said. "We'll head westward, and you can go to the east. Hopefully we'll all have better luck if we split up." _

"_We'll go get started, then," Miko agreed. Then she grinned, her childish demeanor returning. "For your sake, I'll try not to catch more than we can carry."_

"_Ferrid! Look at this!" Miko called. Ferrid was caught by the note of worry in her voice, though she looked excited as well. He dropped the large squirrel he'd managed to pick up and went over to her._

"_What is it?" He asked. But it was unnecessary, as a moment later, he saw exactly what it was. Just through the trees where Miko was looking, there was a large deer lying on the ground, obviously dead. Looking closer, Ferrid saw that it was untouched save for where it had been stabbed by something in the chest. It didn't look like it had been a blade. _

"_Isn't this lucky? We can feed everyone with it!" Miko said. _

_But what was it doing there? Ferrid's mind was on a run, his senses sharpening as he thought. Suddenly he realized what was happening._

"_Miko, don't-!"_

_But it was too late, Miko had stepped into the clearing. She stopped dead as a deafening roar echoed around them, scaring birds from the trees. Ferrid could only watch as she stood frozen in fear, face contorted in despair. _

"_Go, Miko! Run!" he barked_

_Ferrid's commands reached her ears, springing her into action. Miko dashed forward as something crashed through the trees behind her. Ferrid took off as well, and she followed him, only imagining what would happen to them. She could hear it behind her- the monster that was chasing them. She knew already what it was, and it wasn't happy by the sound of it. _

"_Miko! Keep running and don't stop! Find Orion! I'll hold it off!"_

_The troll came crashing through the trees behind them. Miko should have been faster than it, she knew. But her legs felt numb, and she almost couldn't control them. She overtook Ferrid easily when he slowed to a halt, but she couldn't keep going much longer after that. She came to a halt, now definently not in control of her paws. She turned around, watching Ferrid throw himself at the ugly creature. Miko was too terrified to move. She wanted to run, she wanted to help her brother. She just wanted so desperately to be able to do something, to react in some way at all, any way, but she couldn't. A scene played in her mind, a horrible scene._

_

* * *

_

"Run! Go! Don't stop! I can hear them right behind us!" Miko shouted. She could hear the footsteps of her best friend at her heels, and they were behind him, catching up quickly. She was the fastest runner Aslan's How had known, but she was more worried about Cade at the moment. Another arrow whizzed past her head.

_"Miko, we need to get them into a clearing! We need more space!" Cade called. _

_"Right!" Miko agreed. "We can transform and we'll be able to hold them off at least until help can come. I think there's a space through the trees right ahead!" _

_Miko lead on, running even harder now. She made sure not to let Cade fall behind. There was no way she was going without him. An arrow stuck into a tree next to her as she suddenly stumbled forward, tumbling into an open arrow. Cade followed, going to her. _

_"Miko, transform and sound a call!" He ordered, coming to a halt and turning to face their attackers with his sword drawn. _

_Miko scrambled to her feet, turning into a wolf quickly. She raised her head and let out a panicked howl, as loud as she could muster. It was suddenly cut off as half a dozen dwarves came into the clearing on horses. Miko stopped dead, her whole body going cold at the sight of them. _

_"Attack now, there's no time to lose!" Cade shouted. Miko heard his voice but she couldn't will herself to move, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to, so badly, to move into action, do something, anything..._

_"Miko?" Cade asked. He turned to face her, holding his sword to block the dwarves. Miko suddenly found her voice as she saw a dwarf still on his horse pull back on his bowstring._

_"Cade!" She screamed, a high-pitched, panicked noise. But it was too late. It all went in slow motion then. Miko saw the dwarf let the bowstring go. Cade turned his head to look at what she'd warned him of, but wasn't fast enough. The arrow hit its mark with a muffled thunk as it pierced through her best friend's back. _

_The world started up again as Cade's sword fell from his hand, hitting the ground right before he did. _

_"NO!" Miko shouted. She came back to life. Her muscles tightened and she had sprung in the next second. Within the next two minutes, she didn't think as her teeth pierced the dwarves necks. The horses that she hadn't injured had taken off as their riders had been viciously killed. Her front and the grass around had been bloodstained by the attack. _

_Their was the noise of hooves and paws on the grass as two centaurs arrived with a cheetah and Aslan himself. Miko stood looking at the ground as the group took in their surroundings and the mass of blood splattered on the grass and trees. A horse with an injured leg whinnied from the ground. All of them but Aslan looked both horrified and astounded. _

_"They're all dead now," Miko said with icy calm. She morphed back into a human in front of them, and turned around for the first time. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes filled with only sorrow. For the first time, she looked down at Cade. _

_All her calm vanished and she ran to his body, breaking into sobs as she stumbled to a halt, lifting him into her arms. Aslan stepped over to her without a word, sitting beside her loyally even as her world began to crash._

_

* * *

_

This was exactly like that time. Thinking of Cade brought Miko back to her senses. Her throat closed. It was too soon... She couldn't lose her brother now too, not now...

_Ferrid was thrown aside by the troll, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack. Miko was running towards the ugly monster in the next second, jumping up and latching herself to it's neck. She wouldn't let go, no matter what. There was too much she could loose if she didn't hold on. She tasted the troll's disgusting blood in her mouth. It swung at her with a sharpened stick, the same thing it had killed the deer with. Miko felt it ram into her many times over, but she didn't let go. She was hurting all over, feeling the blood running through her fur. There was a cracking noise that made her lurch as her back leg snapped and went limp, causing her to loose her grip on the troll. She clawed into its skin as she began to fall, but couldn't manage to hold on. It let out a roar of pain as she landed on the ground with a thump._

_Miko's vision was clouded as she watched a golden blur throw itself at the troll. Ferrid let out a yelp of pain as he was stabbed in the shoulder by the stick and fell near her. There was nothing she could do to help him now. Miko whimpered, desperately calling for Aslan in her mind. But the shape that came from the trees then wasn't Aslan. The last thing Miko saw was the troll being knocked to the ground by a dark brown wolf with fierce yellow eyes, and their savior turning to face her._

* * *

"If it hadn't been for Sergei, I'd be dead." Ferrid finished. "And Miko... well, only Aslan really knows. She wanted him to teach her after she recovered. At first he refused. I don't know what really made him change his mind, and neither does Miko... But she _is _hard to refuse for long, as we all know."

The kings and queens had been listening intently throughout the story. At the end, the finally managed to break their gaze away from Ferrid. Peter turned to look at Miko and Sergei sitting under a tree near the stream.

"Miko had a mentor... who would've guessed...?" he muttered.

"Sergei has done a lot for her," Ferrid said quietly. "If he hadn't taught her what he did, I daresay we'd both have died a few times by now. You have no idea how much I owe him..."

**A/N OH NOES ANOTHER FLASHBACK CHAPPIE OH ASLAN WHY? Oh look, it's almost all from Ferrid's PoV, meaning I actually used another character for a change :D. Did anyone else notice how Cade disappeared last chapter? Anyway... so you get to see how he died. That part was kind of thrown in last-minute. Somewhere in the middle, it's not playing too well in my mind, so it's subject to future change. **

**PS I went to see Voyage of the _Dawn Treader _at a second run movie theatre recently and am already planning out some crap for it. xD I still need to get past this story and the sequel. (Yes it will someday exist. :D) Holy Doctor Octopus, I'm getting ahead of myself. Dx**

**PPS Part of the flashback of the flashback won't underline for some reason...**


	14. Life's Too Short to Not Try

**A/N That's two chapters in one week now, isn't it. Well, don't expect it too often. One, this one's short, two, I don't usually have time like that, I just got lucky, and three, it's hard on me. Dx Just a fluffy little backstory chapter, hope you like it. :D**

**Disclaimer: (I've neglected this lately) Narnia belongs to C.S. Lewis; my characters are mine. C:**

**Chapter 14: Life's Too Short to Not Try**

"Juliana." I ran up to my aunt. It was the morning of the fourth day we'd been at their camp. Cade had made himself busy relaxing most of the time, laying around under the tree near the stream. When he wasn't doing that, he was always with Ferrid. My aunt and uncle liked talking to the Pevensies a lot. I had introduced Peter to Sergei, and we had been training under him together a little. Most of the time, my mentor was resting, but he did get up to battle with each of us once in awhile. I was happy at how eager Peter had been to improve.

Lucy got along really well with Faolan and, especially, Juno. Medi and Faolan were both ranked up with the top five nicest beings I'd ever met. I never thought I'd see Channing happier than he already had been. But I couldn't forget why I'd come.

I had been up for awhile now. Sergei had awoken after me but gone off to hunt. I think he could tell I didn't want to be bothered. Juliana was just coming out of the cave we all shared.

"I need to talk to you. I came here-"

"I know why you're here," My aunt said gently, cutting me off. I started in surprise. I hadn't thought... "Why don't we go sit under the tree and talk."

Juliana walked in the direction of the tree. I hesitated a moment, feeling dizzy, before following closely at her heels. I sat down under the tree, coming up next to Juliana. I looked at her in amazement.

"Don't underestimate me, Miko," she laughed. "I know that you didn't come here just for a visit, as nice as it's been." I looked at my paws.

"It's really been great seeing you," I said, examining the lengthening grass at my paws. The blades became surrounded in an icy casing, one by one, before returning to normal. I focused on doing this multiple times as I spoke, choosing my words carefully.

"I really needed this break," I started slowly. "I've been thinking about catching up with you and the pack since you came to visit before the war. I needed to talk to you anyway, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to stay for awhile and introduce you to my friends. But you know how I am..."

"You never rest, Miko," Juliana murmured, a pang of sadness filling her voice. I looked up to see her looking at me with a glistening, pride-filled gaze. "You've never been able to stop wondering, stop searching, no matter how hard you've ever tried. And look... you see where it's gotten you? How far you've come? You're a wonder, Miko, a miracle..."

"I can't rest," I sighed. "I can't ever stop until I uncover the truth. That's why I've really come. I need you to tell me about my mother, and... how exactly she died."

"I don't know exactly what happened after we were separated, but I can tell you what I do know," Juliana started with a sigh. I settled into my patch of grass, listening intently.

"Our pack was made mainly of the three of us siblings and our families. We had always been very close, and stayed together after we left our parents. It was your mother, Torach, Morgrim, your uncle, Arling, and myself. It had been like that for a long time. We'd picked Morgrim up after he'd been abandoned by the White Witch, half-dead. And Elenora saved your father once, when they met. That's a story she should've told you, though...

"It wasn't long before Elenora had you and Kuna. We were all happy for her, even Morgrim. He was often the one to take care of you two. Torach... none of us ever really liked him anyways, and we soon discovered he didn't make a good father. I think Elenora realized how he really was after you were born, but she never let us know how worried she was. She was so happy with Morgrim around, though. I don't know if she'd have been able to bear the weight of Torach without him. He was almost like your father himself.

"Your mother was truly loved. She had Arling and I, and Morgrim. But your father left. About a month after your sister was born, Torach left the pack and went to the White Witch. We could all tell how much happier Elenora seemed, but she tried always denied that she'd been any worse. Not long after that, she returned to our camp with Tumnus. He saved her life, bless him. That's another story better told by someone else. You'll have to ask him sometime. We were all so happy for the longest time, away from the war and the Witch's rule... But it didn't last long. She found us somehow, and we were attacked. We tried to stay and fight for as long as possible. Morgrim insisted on staying and fighting the longest. He made Elenora run with you. She eventually listened, running away with you. Elenora was chased by a few of her minions. I fled shortly after she did, trying to attract some of their attention. I never saw what happened with Arling. He stayed to fight with Morgrim, I know. But I can't say what happened after that. I first heard from him after Orion and I settled down past the mountains. We've kept in touch and he's doing well. I've told him about you.

"That's really all I know, Miko. I don't know where Elenora could have gone, if she _is _still alive."

There was a moment of silence as I stored the new information, letting it all register. It took a moment, but the first thing I realized made my heart flutter.

"So... there's a chance...?" I questioned anxiously, trailing off.

"Yes, Miko," Juliana smiled sadly. "There is a chance your mother is still alive, though I don't know how big that chance is. Wherever she's been, she's managed to keep herself well hidden. And I'm sure she won't be found until she wants to be."

I got up and was running around in circles all around the camp barking in happiness within seconds. I heard Juliana's laugh in the back of my mind. I saw Peter emerge from the cave out of the corner of my eye and made one more lap before changing course to run at him. I morphed into a human as I leaped towards him. He caught me, stumbling back, with a shout.

"Miko!" he cried, startled. "What are you doing?"

"Peter! She could be alive! Do you know what this means? I've been waiting so long to hear- I mean, I've always thought- I bet I've always really known- But know I know for sure! Juliana said-!"

"Who exactly could be alive?" Peter asked, stopping me. I hadn't realized how fast I'd been talking this whole time. I took a deep breath before answering, but the excitement was still high in my voice.

"My mother!" Peter stood staring at me for a moment. I watched his eyes unblinkingly. Suddenly his face lit up, a grin spreading across his face.

"That's great!" he said, echoing my own excitement. He lifted me up into the air and twirled me around once before setting me back on the ground. I started laughing and Peter joined me. By this time, everyone else had heard the commotion and was emerging from the two different dens, the remaining Pevensies coming out first. I ran up and hugged Susan suddenly, making her start.

"What's going on out here?" She asked incredulously.

"My mother could be alive!" I shouted. "Juliana just said-! She told me!"

Everyone started talking at once. I heard various excited statements and congratulations.

"That's wonderful!"

"So you could find her then?"

"What now?"

"I'm sure you'll find her soon, then!"

Then Ferrid's voice came to me. He stepped forward.

"All your work has finally paid off," He said calmly, pride in his voice. I grinned at him before shaking my head.

"This is where the real work begins," I said. "I've always had the hope that she might be alive, still. Now I have to prove it to myself."

"Never stop searching." I turned to face Peter, my grin softening slightly.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "For everything."

"We're here for you, you know that," Edmund said behind me.

"We're your friends," Lucy added. Susan didn't say anything, but she nodded at me, smiling encouragingly.

"And I couldn't have better ones."

**A/N Couldn't find a better way to end it in all honesty. Biiigggg wall of text... it's scares children. I didn't really know how to do the thingy with the quotation marks and where they go on different paragraphs, so I hope I got it right... Someone tell me if I didn't, please. C:**


	15. One Last Time

**A/N Thanks all you guys. I love you so much. I'm sorry I can't find much time to write. Thank you for supporting me through this story, I couldn't have done it with out you all. I hope you'll stick with me through the end. I know I'm not that good of a writer, but I've been improving because of you. Just look how far I've come since this story's start! (Actually you might not want to, it's pretty bad) I promise I will write lots and lots this summer so I can finish this story for you!**

**Chapter 15: One Last Time**

"Miko, focus!" Sergei growled. "You're not getting into it!"

I looked over at my mentor. We were having one last training session before I had to leave again. For some reason, I couldn't concentrate today. I didn't know what it was. I had woken feeling off today. Yesterday we had relaxed all day, talking and celebrating after I had found out about my mother. We had decided we were going to leave today. I had what I had come for and couldn't wait much longer to get started finding her. I had probably already spent too much time away from my search.

I tensed, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. Had to keep my focus, couldn't do this in battle, I'd die... I wasn't usually like this. I didn't understand what was up with me at the moment.

"Again," I growled shortly, concentrating on only my opposition. I didn't hesitate after speaking, charging at the dark brown wolf in front of me.

"Good," Sergei barked, dodging smoothly out of my way. He snapped at my head and I rolled to avoid his powerful jaws.

There were no pauses to his attacks, no hesitation. I knew he wasn't coming at me with his full force, and I wasn't either, but to anyone who hadn't trained with him it would appear he was. It was exactly like a real battle. Sergei always gave you the feeling that his aim was to kill, and even I had a bit of difficulty convincing myself it was a mock fight sometimes. With him coming at them like that, his foes always got the full pressure of just how many thousands of enemies had fallen to him. I knew. I had often been in that position.

I leaped over him, creating a mist in the air to shroud my position, but it barley mattered to Sergei. His senses were so attuned that he had only to blink an eye and he'd found me. The blow sent me tumbling. I scrambled to my feet, not eager to lie down in front of such a powerful opponent.

This was how battles were, fights for survival, a weighing of strengths. You'd think I'd have battled him enough to know exactly how he'd respond to my moves. In a way I did, but to a very slim extent. That was part of what made Sergei so powerful, and I could tell he'd picked up a few things since I'd last seen him. But, I had too.

That was how I'd been taught, to always be unpredictable, and expect the unexpected. That was what had led me to lead so many battles before. That was what had led him to down so many hundreds- no, thousands, of foes.

Sergei relaxed, and I could tell the battle was done. It had been a draw, like so many before. I stretched my tense muscles.

"You've adjusted some of your battling style upon working with your new allies," Sergei noticed, his way of praise.

"I see you've picked up some things, too," I responded, my way of thanking him for the battle. Though it seemed like a cold conversation to any outsider, this was our language, and noting things each others' battling was equivalent, if not greater than, a compliment.

Peter applauded from the edge of the clearing. I turned to face him with a wolf grin. He shook his head in wonder.

"I'll never understand this," he said.

Whenever Peter joined in our training sessions, it was much different. Sometimes I was human, sometimes a wolf, depending on what Sergei had in mind at the time. Either way, I always cheered Peter on, giving him warnings or tips. He would do the same for me as well, though I needed it less. Sergei congratulated both of us, though he kept his harshly critical tone. He gave Peter tips for improvement. But it was completely different when it was just Sergei and I. We completely went at it, Peter usually checking to make sure we were both alright afterwards.

I just laughed at his amazement, walking over to him. He automatically leaned down and patted me on the head, which I always liked.

"Miko!"

I looked to see who was calling my name and saw Lucy. She picked up the pace when she saw me, breaking into a run. Susan, Ed, and the rest of Juliana's pack weren't far behind her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to leave, aren't we?" Ed replied. I gave a start. Already? I had expected to at least get back to camp before we packed up.

"Where are Karise and Cade?" I asked.

"They're coming," Channing assured. "They were having some... _issues_... with the last couple bags." I didn't even stop to consider all the things I could make fun of them for later in my state of surprise.

"I didn't expect..." I trailed off.

"Sorry it's sudden," Orion apologized.

"We were _all _talking last night and figured it was for the best that we leave as early as possible," Susan explained, glancing at Peter as she spoke. I looked over at him curiously, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. Juliana stepped forward then, distracting my attention.

"You have the information you need now, Miko," she said sincerely. "Please don't argue when I say I don't want to delay you any further. You have a lead. When you find her, you had better come back here and see us again."

I nodded confidently, refusing to let myself feel pity for leaving so soon. I knew I'd disappoint my family if I were to try to stay for their sake. They expected more of me than that. They knew I was a fighter.

"I promise," I said firmly.

"I'm going with you," Sergei growled with a piercing yellow stare. "Only as far as the Rush River, but that will have to be enough."

"Don't you trust me to keep myself out of trouble?" I asked, feigning annoyance.

"No," Sergei responded simply with a flick of his tail, expression unchanging. "We need to get moving as soon as possible. It's already past noon and we don't want to be in unfamiliar territory after dark."

I nodded in agreement, noting the fact that no one took my side about not getting into trouble. I figured they knew me well enough by now to know that I couldn't go anywhere without running into a conflict.

Peter stared back the way we'd come. "The other two should be here any moment now."

As if on cue, Cade emerged from the trees, leading our horses. He was able to keep them calm even though they were in a clearing full of wolves. He had always been amazing with other animals.

"Come on, Karise, it's really the only way," Cade was saying as he drew nearer. "Trust me, you look fine!"

"No way! This is stupid!" Karise retorted, coming up on his side.

It was only a moment before we noticed what exactly was so stupid. Strapped to Karise's back was a pack like the horses carried on their sides. It was bulging, obviously full of supplies for the journey. I burst out laughing.

"Shut up, Miko!" the cheetah growled, pawing at her ear. I'd known her long enough to know that this was her sign of embarrassment. Even her tough exterior couldn't hide this.

Karise stared at a spot on the ground, growling softly. Cade leaned down so he was level with her, scratching behind her ear.

"Come on, Karise," he said softly, in a persuasive sort of tone. "I think it looks cute. Besides, this will be a great help."

"Nobody cares what you think," Karise growled, walking past us. Her muscles relaxed a little though, and it was obvious Cade's statement had made her feel better. She stopped on the other side of the clearing, looking back over her shoulder. "Are we leaving or not? Because, honestly, if we're staying then I'd be happy to take this thing off."

I looked back at my family. For so long, they had been the only things that I'd had. Juliana gave me an encouraging nod. I turned to the kings and queens, realizing something for the first time.

I wasn't alone anymore. The four of them and Cade and Karise... They were also my family now. They had been this whole time. And to think that once, not long ago, I had disliked them...

Swallowing my pride and a lump of sadness that was rising in my stomach, I nodded. I opened my mouth to make a heartfelt statement when, suddenly, two streaks crashed into me in balls of fur. I stumbled sideways, nearly falling.

"Aunt Miko!"

I looked down in surprise at Juno and Faolan, who were burying themselves in my fur.

"Are you leaving already?" Juno whimpered.

"You're going, aren't you?" Faolan echoed.

"You just got here and I never get to see you!"

"You're so cool! There's so much I want you to teach me!"

"We didn't even get to play that much!"

"I mean, you were always training with Sergei and-"

"You know where we are now, though so-"

"Did you really beat the Witch all by yourself?"

"You... you'll come back, right?" Juno asked, looking up at me sadly. Her gaze made me recover from my initial shock. I leaned down and licked both of their heads.

"Don't worry," I assured Juno, putting on a cheerful face. "I've already promised your mother that I'm coming back as soon as I've finished my quest."

"When will that be?" my cousin questioned.

"Soon, I hope," I answered, glancing up at the sky. Juno followed my gaze. I felt the sun warming my face, remembering that Elenora was somewhere under that same sun right that moment.

"When you get back, you'll teach me right?" Faolan asked, pawing at my leg to get my attention.

"I'll teach you whatever you want to know," I promised, turning to face him. "Though I don't know how good I'll be at it."

"I bet you could've beat Sergei if you'd stayed..." he muttered sadly. I looked over at my mentor, who was staring off into the distance.

"No, I don't think so."

"This is it than, isn't it?" Channing said.

I looked over my _whole _family, putting on a sad smile to try and reassure the kids. Juliana's eyes were filled with pride and she gave me a nod.

"Yes, it is," I said, facing Channing. I went over to him, rubbing my face against his before moving to Juliana and Orion to do the same.

"Good," Sergei huffed. I knew he was secretly touched by the sad exchanges, but that wasn't something he would show. "We need to get going. We've wasted enough time here already."

Without another word, he turned and trotted off into the forest. I nodded at the rest of my traveling companions, before turning to follow. I heard Susan, Ed, and Lucy climb onto their horses. I instinctively looked up at Peter when he put his hand on my back.

"You'll see them again, soon," he whispered me.

"I know," I returned, matching his volume.

Karise waited until Cade caught up to disappear into the trees after Sergei, Ed and the Queens going after them with Peter's horse in tow. That left Peter and I for last. I didn't hesitate to follow, glancing back as we reached the clearing edge.

"Faolan!" I called back. "It was Aslan who killed the White Witch!"

That was the last thing I said to the pack before we were swallowed up by the forest.

**A/N If you look at that last statement it kind of has a double meaning... Oh yeah! If you look at my profile, you'll see descriptions of the pack members and there should be a map of where important events happened up soon, too! :D**


	16. Miko the Brave

**A/N: Wow, I don't even know what to say... The last time I made an update to this story was a year and about a week ago from today... Everyone who was ever interested in it is probably six feet under and turning to bone dust by now. Lol, just kidding. I really wasn't going to continue it, though. I thought the beginning was so awful and I didn't know how to run it smoothly and I'm such a bad writer that I'd just give up. But yesterday, I was reading through my older email account (the one that my fanfiction is attatched to) and I saw all the people who had reviewed and favorited this story... It made me all emotional (I swear I didn't cry!) and I decided to give it another shot. So, if anyone is actually still around that read this story before I gave up on myself thanks so much for staying around this long and I really do hope to give myself more time to try and get this story back on its feet! I don't know if I can really stick to a weekly update kind of thing, since I'm already way behind, but try not to hate me too much! Lol, I wouldn't blame you if you did, though!**

**Disclaimer: I own my OC's and C.S. Lewis owns the wonderful world of Narnia and all its lovable characters. I feel the need to say it again after a year of hiatus. :)**

**Chapter 16: Miko the Brave**

I hadn't been able to shake that off feeling during the trip. In fact, it only seemed to be getting worse as we went along. A couple times, Peter had made everyone stop so he could make sure I'd be okay. I had stumbled over logs and got tangled in bushes several times already, Cade or Ferrid having to stop and drag me out or help me up. I kept telling myself I was just missing Juliana and Orion, or I was worried about them... But I knew somehow that that wasn't it.

I couldn't explain it, but the farther the day went, the worse I got. I just had this feeling about something, though I couldn't tell you what it was... But, I didn't like it. Ferrid could tell I was concerned. My brother knew that when I felt off like this, I was rarely wrong. Wrong about what? We never knew until it happened, good or bad.

I had felt off both the day that Kuna had died and the day that Cade had died. Of course, I had also felt off the day that I had been planning to leave for this trip, and then my whole extended family had ended up wanting to support me. Like I said, it was good or bad.

I looked up at the sky, seeing the sun already low. We had yet to arrive at the river, even though we knew where we were going this time around. The return trip had already been much shorter. At least this time we were headed exactly the right way without _somebody _secretly guiding us towards my aunt's secret new home... I glanced at up at Ferrid, walking ahead of me and tried to suppress a glare.

We had been running or riding as soon as we had gotten out of the thick of the forest surrounding Juliana and Orion's new home. Only briefly had we taken a break, sometime an hour or so ago to have a quick snack of fruit. I was beginning to get a little hungry now, since that hadn't been the most filling, but I was _not _eager to stop for any reason. I thought that maybe if we could make it through the night then everything would be okay in the morning. But, I wanted to camp in a bit more familiar territory.

We were slowing down now and I couldn't help but feel more panicked as we went. At this pace, we were never going to make it before nightfall. I struggled to hold my tongue, knowing that everyone else was beginning to tire. In truth, I was too, but so far my impulsiveness was beating that out.

Suddenly, Ferrid was beside me, looking worried as usual.

"Are you still feeling...?" He trailed off, unable to find words to describe it. It wasn't like anything he'd ever experienced, and he knew that.

"Yeah," I responded softly, hoping no one else would hear. Lucy and Susan were talking in front of us. I glanced ahead at the horses and their riders, having the feeling that Ed and Peter were paying close attention. I didn't need them worried as well.

"I don't like this," I whimpered, not meeting my brothers gaze. "It's worse than its ever been before. I can't remember the last time I was so clumsy..."

"Do you think it's good or bad?" Ferrid questioned.

"You know I've never been able to tell!" I returned quickly, a note of whining in my tone. I didn't like feeling so vulnerable, but I couldn't help it. I hated not knowing, which was something that whirled around in my life a lot. I never seemed to know... Some days I felt I was always kept in the dark...

"Sorry," Ferrid apologized, sighing. He wasn't working so hard to keep his voice down any longer. "I suppose I'm asking too much of you."

"No, it's fine," I said, trying to recover for his sake. "Don't worry, Ferrid. Just... keep an eye out, alright?"

"Will do," he assured me with a nod. He hurried up to the front of our group again, I guessed to pass my warning on to Sergei. I watched them speaking. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but they seemed to be making a decision. Sure enough, Sergei stopped a second later. The party stumbled to a halt at the sudden change in plans.

"What is it?" Cade asked Ferrid instantly, suddenly alert.

"We're making plans to stop for the night," Ferrid announced. "We've run into a... minor setback, you could say. There's really nothing to worry about."

My stomach dropped to my feet. No, no, no! This was exactly the opposite of what I had wanted! We needed to keep moving, get past the river before dark! My panic was overwhelming me. What was Ferrid thinking?

The kings and queens began to climb off their mounts, Ed going around to help Lucy to the ground. Suddenly, an unworldly howling echoed throughout the forest. A chill ran through my body. It wasn't a normal wolf, but something much worse.

"Get back on the horses!" I shouted, my growl hoarse with fear. Ed made sure Lucy was on her horse before running over to his own bay. Susan and Peter rushed to their own mounts and Cade and Ferrid took positions on either side of the royalties. Karise bounded to the middle of everything, looking back at me in a panic.

"Miko!" She yowled.

"Go!" I shouted in return. "We have to run- now!"

Just as I finished giving my command, a shadow passed overhead, plunging us all into darkness for a moment. I looked up to see a giant winged creature fly by. The sight of our enemy stirred everyone into action.

Sergei growled and took off, leading the rest of them on in the fading light. Ferrid and Cade flanked the horses, while I took the back, watching the skies as I ran. It was finally happening, the thing I'd been bracing myself for all day.

"What are they?" Susan shouted.

"How should I know?" I shot back. All I knew was that whatever was flying above us now was huge- and intent on catching us. I tried to get Ferrid's attention, but he was too busy to notice me. All I needed was to give him one glance for him to know...

I was jostled back as something huge crashed through the trees in front of us. Sergei skidded to a halt, the rest of us nearly running into him. A second later, an enormous black winged creature fell to the earth in front of us. It wasn't until it unfurled its wings that I realized it was a giant bat, even bigger than a horse.

I whipped around to head the other way just as a Werewolf came through the brush snarling, its flashing yellow eyes burning into my mind. We were surrounded.

"Cade!" I shouted, holding the werewolf's gaze, "Take the girls into the trees with the horses! We need them alive for the kings and queens!"

I heard Cade transform and Peter and Edmund dismount, drawing their swords. I waited with bated breath as the horses began to stir. The Werewolf's gaze flickered from me to them hungrily. They began trotting off, trying not to attract too much attention. Then he lunged without warning. It was lucky for us that I was the fastest thing in Aslan's camp.

I leaped for the Werewolf before he even knew what was coming. I felt him panic under my paws as I froze him slowly, one paw on his neck. I didn't want to kill if I didn't have to. Suddenly, I heard snarling and looked up as four more werewolves approached. I left the one under my paws half-frozen and ran towards them before they got a chance to go after the horses.

I heard a set of wings flying above and looked back to see if the others had driven off the bat. Ferrid and the kings were watching the sky, and I saw Sergei had the bat wrestled to the ground. Its wings were waving around wildly as he struggled to find an opening to finish it off.

The werewolves took advantage of the opening I'd unthinkingly created. I felt sharp pains in my tail and right foreleg as they bit into my skin. I thrashed around wildly as another one jumped on my back. The remaining werewolf, who was notably bigger than the others- the leader- stood on his hind legs, watching.

I felt my tail and legs dampening with my blood as they held on. I just needed one of them off and I could get my balance back long enough to turn the fight around. I got my wish sooner than expected. I heard a yelp that was cut short as the weight came off my back end.

Taking advantage of their momentary shock, I somehow managed to fling the one off my leg, sending it flying into a tree. I shook myself, throwing my body to the side. There was a sickening crunch as I rolled over, catching the werewolf under me. I pulled myself back to my feet as it limped off, glancing back at Ferrid.

"Thanks," I said.

"Don't thank me yet," he responded. I turned back around as more werewolves came out of the trees. The leader raised his head and an unearthly howl escaped his muzzle. It sent a shiver up my spine. But the feeling that gave me was a trifle compared to what happened next did.

There was the sound of snapping branches and the earth shook. I whipped around to see another bat had landed between Sergei and the rest of us. It let out an echoing screech that chilled me to the bone. Ferrid jumped past me at the same time I created a mist around us and the werewolves leaped past me. Four of them went after the kings.

The mist quickly thickened into fog around me as I ran forward, shrouding my approach. I could move undetected in enclosed areas like this. I lunged for the second giant bat that had landed. The gruesome thing that had my mentor trapped under its enormous body didn't even seem me coming. As soon as I hit it, it was against the ground, bloodcurdling screech of terror cut short by my jaw snapping its neck with a single blow.

I stood there for a moment, hearing the howls of the Werewolves that had attacked the kings and were likely now impaled on swords like my next dinner over a fire.

My next action was instantaneous, a fighting instinct more than anything. One thought that took a millisecond to process: Cut off the head. I sprinted back towards the hill, sure that Sergei would be right behind me now that he was free of the bat. Without thought, the mist dispersed around me, revealing the clearing in all the bloody glory of my enemies. The sight sent me forward, as if this was another war I had to win for my kingdom.

The werewolf leader tried to run, but I was far faster. I leaped on his back the moment he started to flee. He reacted by rolling over, trying to fling me off but I was in the fray again almost before he knew what hit him. There was only a short tussle before I won out. It was probably the messiest kill I'd ever made. I was sure Sergei would scold me if he saw-

Sergei.

I morphed instantly and turned around. I had expected my mentor to be right behind me. He was _always right behind me._ He was my sole backup, the only fighting partner who I'd really been challenged by.

Ferrid came up on the hill, figure stained with blood that was made to look even more prominent by the sun setting in a blaze of fire behind him. He put one arm around me, trying to lead me down to the others. Face close to my ear, he whispered as calmly as possible, "Come on, Miko. Let's go."

"Sergei," I croaked. It only took one look for me to know. One glance into my brother's remarkably green eyes.

I don't know how I got there. I don't remember the trip. But I was holding Sergei's brown head in my lap, meeting his yellow eyes that were slowly fading from this world. I could see the wound that had done it. One gash across his neck, that was all it had taken. One lucky blow, I was sure. I held tight to Sergei's muzzle, placing it so he didn't have to expend any energy to look at me.

I could only stare at his form outlined in red from the last peak of the sun over the horizon. The darkness gathering at the top of the sky felt like a blanket trying to suffocate me and steal my last moments with my beloved teacher away from me. So much had already been stolen away... Why did the world have to take everything from me? Just when I'd decided things were going to get better.

"N-No, you can't..." I finally spluttered, my voice choked with tears. They hadn't started to flow yet. I wanted them to hold off as long as they would, keep from spilling. Now was not the time to break in front of my mentor. Not when he needed me for once. "You just can't."

"I'm getting too old for this, Miko," Sergei sighed, a smile in his tone. "You have been the pride and joy of my life. Training you is the one good thing I've done for the world. Of course, I didn't do it all on my own. It was mostly you, Miko. No... It was always you. I just steered you in the right direction. I suppose I always knew that some day I would die with you as my witness as well as live... My life just wouldn't really have come to an end properly if I didn't die for you one way or another, would it have?"

"You weren't supposed to die for me!" I shouted, not caring how it echoed through the forest. "No one! _No one else_ is supposed to die for me! What am I, anyway? I'm a stupid girl who's time is practically up! I've done my job! It's my turn to die for everyone else! That's what the prophecy says, isn't it? Who do I have left to lose? I killed Kuna, I killed Cade, now I've killed you! Who else has to die? Tell me!"

"Miko..." Sergei closed his eyes and I sat his head back down on my lap, knowing there was nothing left I could do. I had no course of action for once. I was lost. That same naive pup who walked right into a trap the first time Sergei had had to save my sorry butt.

"You're time's not up yet," Sergei said, voice soft. He was using the last of his breath, and thanks to his stubborn arse there was nothing I could do to stop him.

"You don't know the full meaning of the prophecy..." my fearless mentor's laugh was a raspy wheeze. "I didn't train you to give up hope. The only thing I can ask now is that you live fighting."

"I'll always be your pupil," I answered in a whisper. The dam broke, my face was streaked with rivers of tears. I tried to smile but it cracked as soon as Sergei spoke again.

"That's my girl... Be brave, Princess."

Nothing. The complete silence echoed around me, ripping a void into what felt like my soul.

"Always," I responded. Then I completely crumbled, my normally strong walls reduced to dust. My fake bravery was gone, dead along with my mentor. With a loud, choked sob I collapsed onto Sergei's lifeless body, screaming a thousand curses at the world through my tears. I clutched at bloody, matted clumps of the once-powerful wolf under me.

It wasn't until Ferrid dragged me away, kicking and screaming, that I felt the weariness really settle over me. Something told me this was not the way Sergei would want me to react to his death. I stood still as stone as my brother supported me with one arm around my shoulders. All I could do was stare at the wolf who had practically been my father for all these years, now never to breathe again. Never again to tell me to keep trying harder.

It took quite a while but, thanks to Ferrid and Cade, Sergei was soon resting safely in the ground where he could sleep forever, undisturbed.

I just felt numb all over. I couldn't move any of my limbs, even if I wanted to. All I could do was lay on the ground with my head in Peter's lap, his fingers laced into the raven hair that partly hung over my face like a death veil. I had run out of tears hours ago, but still felt like I was crying. My eyes were sore and I was sure my whole face was red and as ugly as a troll. I hated crying.

I wanted to hide when I saw the feet of Susan and Lucy walking up to us, but I didn't have the will. Instead, I showed the first sign of life I had all night and moved my head to look up at them. Peter stirred as soon as the weight of my head shifted on his knee and I felt his fingers tighten gently in my hair.

They both held flowers in their hands, stiff smiles on their faces. I could tell they'd been crying, probably just because I had been crying. The thought made my the knots in my heart tighten. To know how much they cared. That was when I noticed what they were holding. Each had a small bouquet of beautiful flowers- purples and whites and yellows... Lucy was the one to speak first.

"It took us almost all night to find them," she said quietly.

"We just thought it would be appropriate," Susan added.

I slowly sat up, limbs stiff and muscles cold. Peter's hand fell away from my head and I could feel his eyes on me. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, though. All I could do was stare at the flowers that two of my closest friends had worked so hard to bring me, just so I could give a proper funeral.

It took what felt like hours for my eyes to come back into focus and my blood to start flowing normally again, awakened from my depression-induced stupor. I moved my jaw wordlessly, trying to find my voice. Eventually, it came to me, even though it sounded foreign and strange... Like someone was speaking for me from a distance and I couldn't see their face.

"Thank you."

Almost as if it had been a planned procession, my friends and family made a path for me on either side of the fresh mound of dark soil that was Sergei's grave. I walked between them stiffly, the flowers that Susan and Lucy had gathered in my hands. Almost as if in a trance, I made it to the pile of dirt. Slowly, as not to fall over, I crouched down and placed the flowers delicately on top of the grave.

Upon straightening up, I felt some of the old life rush back through my veins, like someone had shot a spark into my veins. I clenched and unclenched my fists again and again, as if waking them from a thousand year sleep.

My head raised to the sky, the pale purplish-blue that was becoming the new dawn. Yes, whatever happened, there would always be another dawn. Whether I was here to witness it or not... Whether I felt like death or was pursuing life. I couldn't give up hope.

_Miko the brave._

Maybe I didn't feel like it right now. But that's what Sergei had faith in me to be. That's what Aslan had bestowed upon me that day that seemed like months ago, wasn't it? Yes. And no matter what, I had too keep searching. Never give up.

"Aslan, if you're anywhere out there, take care of him," I said. With that, I turned back around to face my small, but extraordinarily strong, army. They were all watching me expectantly as they waited for guidance, seeing the life return to my eyes. The fire and, most of all, the ice.

"What do we do now?" Ferrid asked quietly from beside me.

"Now?" I smiled absentmindedly, looking to the pale blue heavens. "Now we go home."

**A/N: I almost didn't cry. Almost. Sorry for the length, I couldn't find a good place to cut it in the middle. ^v^;**


	17. Halfway There

**A/N: So the last time I updated this was a year ago today, meaning it's yearly update time! Yay! I'm trying to do this so I can evaluate my progress as a writer from year to year, seeing as this is my longest running story. I'd like to go back and revise the beginning chapters if I ever finish it, but that all depends on how long I can keep this up. I'd like to try and power through the rest of this story because it's not really as bad as I thought it was. If I stay interested in it, you can rest assured that there'll be more updates throughout the year! If not, I guess... see you next year! ^^;**

**Disclaimer: I own what I do and not what CS Lewis does. But you knew that, didn't you? Clever people...**

**Chapter 17: Halfway There**

"Miko! Miko! I've got something! Miko!"

I stumbled backwards as Edmund literally ran into me running around the corner. I'd been rushing to meet him as soon as I heard him calling and apparently misjudged where he was going to be.

"Ed!" I cried, tone far too hopeful, eyes far too bright with excitement. "Are you serious?! You're not kidding, right? You actually found something!"

"I actually found something!" he confirmed, nodding his head happily with a huge grin stretched across his face.

I jumped in the air and did a spin before landing again.

"Yes! What?"

"A pack of wolves led by an adult pair consisting of three other adults and a few odd pups... I got word they were sighted in the Western Woods just a couple days ago!" Edmund reported.

"_Yes!_" I screeched again, pulling the younger boy to me in a tight embrace and spinning around while he clung on tight. "I love you, Edmund!"

"That's great, but could you let me down?!" he laughed "I'm having a hard time breathing here!"

I set him down and clapped him on the back, laughing hysterically. He grabbed my hands and we started twirling around like idiots, cackling in glee. Which is what we were still doing when Peter found us.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" He asked, leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest. I let Edmund go and whipped around to look at him, face-splitting smile still in place. I instantly regretted it as I almost fell over from light-headedness.

"I think we found him! Well, Ed did anyway," I informed him, too happy to notice his expression.

"Who?" Peter asked, confused, not yet caught up on what we'd been doing. It had pretty much been Edmund and I working while the girls had been dutifully training with Peter and Ferrid over the last few weeks. I'd had Cade working on the outside, gone for a couple days at a time, hunting out any animals that might have seen signs of any wolves in Narnia and beyond, Karise going with him for backup. So it would make sense that the high king was a bit out of touch with our search.

"My mother's brother! Arling! My uncle!" I cried. "It's been months since Juliana last heard from him and she's lost track of his pack, but I think we've found them!

"Oh. That's great, Miko!" he said, smiling.

I didn't pay much heed to the stern look he exchanged with Edmund as the younger boy passed, too caught up in my own excitement.

"Isn't it?!" I grabbed on to Peter's arm and dragged him back down the hallway the way Ed had come.

"Yeah, it really is," Peter repeated, smile softening as he glanced in my direction.

I calmed down a little bit at that look, noticing again how Peter always seemed to be able to make me come to my senses and start thinking straight again.

"Alright," I breathed, finally starting, "we have to stay calm. We can send an advance party to search the Western Woods and ask them to accept an audience in Cair Paravel, or wherever, I guess."

"Audience?" Peter questioned. "Would that mean _I'd_ have to meet with them. It all sounds terribly formal…"

I rolled my eyes and gave him a pointed look. I could tell that he instantly knew he'd said something wrong.

"Thanks for the heroic offer, your _highness_," I sighed. "If you recall, I stood by the throne on your coronation day, too. Though, as only a _Princess_ of Narnia, my summons might not weigh as much as the High King's, I still have minimal power of a _fraction_ of your kingdom, oh greatness."

Edmund laughed at my remark and I shot him a grin, effectively breaking my serious façade.

"Miko," Peter reprimanded, rolling his eyes. A corner of his lips twitched up in an amused smile. "Alright, I get it."

"Who are you going to send?" Edmund questioned.

"Karise, for sure," I answered instantly. "She's fast. She can get to them before anyone else I know, and, more importantly, I can trust her. I want some centaurs with her, just in case, though she's allowed to go ahead of them. And also…"

I stopped, biting my lip nervously. The idea had popped into my mind as soon as I'd started thinking of a party to send, but I wasn't eager to propose it. I knew I had to get Peter's OK first and foremost, and I was certain that he wouldn't be happy with the individual I was asking to send.

"Also…?" Peter prompted impatiently, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"_Morgrim_," I breathed. "I want to send Morgrim."

"No," the blonde snapped. "Absolutely not."

"Peter, come on, give her a chance to-" Edmund's leap to my defense pleased me despite its futility, as it was cut short by his brother.

"I said _no_," he commanded. "That's it. End of discussion."

"_Peter!_" I protested, hurrying to get as many words out as I could before he could start up again. "They _know_ him, if it really is Arling; he was in their pack, we already know he didn't kill my mother, she cared about him, and he's already proved himself enough in the battle against the White Witch, hasn't he?"

"_Miko!_" Peter huffed. I could tell he was upset by my defense and quickly losing patience. "I'm not letting him run lose anywhere in Narnia! He gave his loyalty to the Witch; he was the Captain of her secret police. He arrested _Tumnus_, do you not remember?"

"Because he had to stay alive!" I shouted.

I could tell Peter wanted to say more, and I did too. I wasn't going to deny that Morgrim had done any of those things, because I knew that he had, and that wasn't in question. But I was certain he only obeyed orders because he _had _to. Sure it was cowardly, but I couldn't say I wouldn't have done the same in his position.

The tension in the air was almost tangible as we glared daggers at each other, and I was certain that I was going to explode at him again before Edmund stepped between us, ever the voice of reason.

"A vote," he proposed quickly. My eyes turned to him and my offensive position relaxed slightly. He glanced between Peter and I. "I say we take a vote. Us three plus Susan and Lucy. Does that sound fair?"

I glanced at Peter and I could tell that we both agreed Edmund's suggestion was a reasonable one. I nodded slightly and his blue eyes left mine, returning his attention to his younger brother.

"Fine, then," he said. "A vote it is."

Cade and Karise were let in as well, seeing as they were practically part of our misshapen family by now. I would have called Ferrid in as well, knowing that my own opinion _was_ probably a bit biased, and he'd always had a better grip on seeing things objectively. Unfortunately, however, he'd gone out, though no one seemed to know exactly _where_. That didn't surprise me much. He had a tendency to wander, and he wouldn't have wanted to bother me by letting me know he was going to be gone for a little while when I was so busy searching.

Cade had been back for the last day after the most recent search I sent him on, and the others really had nowhere to go. So we all gathered in our dining room, which had become our unofficial meeting room by some unspoken agreement. It had been that way for awhile now, from the earliest of our days in Cair Paravel when we simply tended to discuss topics of importance over a meal.

I presented my argument, pressing that the benefits of having someone Arling would recognize accompanying the party outweighed any insecurities Peter had. I had to admit, my argument seemed flimsy compared to his, and greatly lacking the factual evidence that he had to back him up. True, Morgrim had once been my archenemy, but that was before I understood the greater picture, something I'd been missing until fairly recently. Kuna, my little sister, the Messenger of the spirit world, had told me that he was OK, and to me that was good enough.

The vote was quick. Edmund took my side right away, Lucy following him quickly, while Karise stood with Peter. It hurt a bit, though I could understand. She had been a prison guard once, along with being one of my best friends. She had seen more of the Morgrim that had been hardened by the White Witch than anyone besides maybe myself. It would have surprised me if she had picked otherwise.

I was a little startled by the fact that Susan took sides with Peter, but I knew she was a very logical person who loved facts. I could understand that she would like the reassurance of provable information versus my own gut feeling. That meant both Peter and I had three votes for and against Morgrim. The only one left to vote was Cade.

All eyes turned on him expectantly, and I waited with bated breath. Cade had always been reasonable first and foremost, with just a rebellious streak to him, unlike me. I never knew what he was going to say next and he was the hardest of all of them to sway in any direction. Finally he took a deep breath and assessed both Peter and I equally, his decision made.

"I vote in favour with Miko," he said. I heard Peter's somewhat exasperated sigh of defeat to my right, but all I could do was blink at Cade across the table. _What_?

"Why?" I blurted.

His amber eyes leveled with mine, and he seemed unsurprised by my question. "I trust your judgment, for one," he stated. "And if we want your uncle's pack to even consider opening up to us, we'll need to earn his trust. He hardly knew you, and he might not realize it's you summoning him. If we send Morgrim, they'll already have a past relationship and he can be an advocate that they'd listen to. Besides, if there _was_ anything behind Peter's claims, he couldn't try anything surrounded by a guard in a party."

I nodded dumbly in response, unsure of what else to say. Cade strongly stood by any opinions he made and no one in the world could influence that. Even though I knew his decision had nothing to do with me, I still felt grateful that he took my side. A part of me had been so sure that he would have found the risk too high that I'd given up on winning before I even realized it.

"That's settled, then," Peter sighed. Obviously he wasn't happy about it, but he could do nothing to change the vote. "We'll send for Morgrim to join the party. They can start searching tomorrow."

"Dismissed," I announced, snapping out of my daze. I glanced once more at Cade before standing to leave the eerily quiet meeting room.

"I've sent word to all parties that are to be involved in the search," Peter's voice came to me from out of the dark. I opened my eyes and met startling blue ones. He watched me from the doorway where he leaned against the frame. I sat up from where I'd been lying across the couch, deep in thoughts still troubled by our previous meeting.

"Are you mad?" I asked instantly. The question seemed to take him by surprise. His gentle smile did at least a little to help ease my worries.

"It was a fair vote," he said evenly.

"That's not an answer," I returned, giving him a smile of my own. He moved from his spot to take a seat next to me, sitting lazily on the soft cushions. I was struck for not the first time by the realization that he never let himself relax in the presence of others, sometimes including his brother and sisters. I had a feeling that he thought he needed to be strong for them; to appear fearless when he was most scared. At least, that's how it seemed to be for me.

"I wouldn't put too much trust in him," Peter said seriously. It wasn't a reprimand, of that I was sure. He was merely stating his opinion on the matter, whether I wanted to take anything he said into consideration or not.

"I know you said your mother trusted him… possibly even loved him to some extent. But that was so long ago. People do change. And, no offense meant, but you didn't know your mother for very long. You've had no chance to see for yourself what you think about her judgment of character."

I pondered that for a moment before giving any sort of response, answering thoughtfully.

"But I do trust _my _judgment of character," I answered. "And I know his switch from enemy to ally was sudden, but… He wasn't lying about how he felt about my mother and I. Even if it sounds crazy, I feel like I can put faith in him."

Peter was silent for a moment and I felt more relaxed than I had before sitting with him so comfortably like this. It was rare that I got a quiet moment anymore, with him or anyone else. It felt good to be so at ease in the presence of others. The only person I'd ever really felt secure around before was Ferrid, though sometimes I wondered why I didn't open up to people more. The person I was before the kings and queens arrived seemed like a myth; a ghost of a shadow-filled life belonging to someone who had been so much more brash and selfish. I had changed.

I glanced over at Peter, unable to help but stare as I once again made a realization. _He _had changed me. He and his siblings, and Karise and Cade, and my stubborn, ever-rational brother. And I wondered again why I had ever thought change was so bad.

"I trust you," Peter said suddenly. I didn't even try to hide the fact that I'd been watching him; more like spacing off in his direction, but he wouldn't know that of course. His statement took me by surprise.

"I know," I said unthinkingly, slightly taken aback by the fact that it wasn't a lie.

"So I'll trust your judgment of Morgrim, and I'll try to trust him too."

I smiled, knowing by the way he smiled back that I didn't need to express my gratitude through words.

"I trust you, too," I said quickly, suddenly urgent with the need to express that truth through words, something I rarely did. I was sure I'd never said it to him before. Actually, I wasn't sure I'd said it to _anyone_ before.

His _'I know_' went unspoken, but certainly not unheard.

"Tell me one thing, Miko," he requested thoughtfully, blue eyes trailing to the ceiling as they often did when he choose what words to speak next. "It's been bothering me since… Well, since we left your aunt's."

What he didn't say was _since Sergei died_. I cringed a bit remembering, but said nothing.

"You said something about a prophecy," Peter continued gently, trying to distract me from the subject. "What did you mean?"

I froze, mind feeling numb as every muscle in my body tensed to the point that if they tried much more, they would surely snap. My vision seemed to disappear as fear pulsed through my veins, ringing in my ears and pounding in my chest.

No.

Not that. Anything but that. Ask something else. _Anything_. Just not that.

I was supposed to die. My time was long past due and yet somehow, miraculously, here I was. Somehow I'd managed to forget for a little while about my past and my future and the fact that every breath I took was a blessing. I didn't _want _to remember.

How was I supposed to tell them? Before, it had just been Ferrid and I. I'd had friends, too, I suppose, like Karise. They would have been sad if I had fallen in the battle, sure, but they would have moved on. I didn't have to worry about hurting anyone else, since Ferrid had come to terms with it long ago.

"M-Miko."

Peter's voice came to me out of a darkness I hadn't realized I'd let myself drown in. I felt my world slowly come back into focus as his chilly arms wrapped around my shoulders, jaw shaking against the side of my head as he tried to keep his teeth from chattering.

It was only then that I realized I'd accidentally frozen the couch, him with it. I thawed it out as quickly as I could, the ice disappearing back into the air where it belonged.

"I-I'm sorry," I choked out, voice barely above a whisper. I was startled by my own volume and how I seemed to have lost the ability to speak properly.

"You don't have to tell me until you're ready," Peter said against my hair, warm breath ghosting across my ear as his voice reached me. Then the close contact was gone and he was looking at me with concern, one hand still resting on my arm.

"Thank you," I said, offering him a weak smile. "I promise I will. Just… Not now."

"Then I'll wait."

And I knew that he would.


End file.
